HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Catering

Edward Leigh: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission when the House of Commons Commission will respond to the First Report of the Administration Committee, Session 2010-12, on Catering and Retail Services in the House of Commons, HC 560; and if he will make a statement.

John Thurso: The Commission welcomes the Administration Committee's report on Catering and Retail Services in the House of Commons and is grateful to the Committee for its work. The Commission agrees with most of the recommendations, including all those which the Management Board has recommended be accepted. It has asked that the remainder be discussed with the Committee by officials of the House Service, after which the Commission will consider them again. That is expected to be in September.

Smartphone Applications

Priti Patel: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2010, Official Report, column 824W, on smartphone applications, what recent progress has been made in the development of smartphone applications for Parliament.

John Thurso: The development of a smartphone application, designed primarily for those visiting Parliament, has been halted. The quotes received from the procurement exercise were too expensive and it has been decided not to continue at this stage. Further work will be undertaken in due course to explore a more cost-effective method of providing visitor information via smartphones.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments: Scotland

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many places in Scotland were designated as a (a) supplying establishment, (b) breeding establishment and (c) scientific procedure establishment under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 at the end of 2010.

Lynne Featherstone: As at 31 December 2010, there were 32 establishments in Scotland designated as scientific procedure establishments under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Of these, 13 were also designated as breeding establishments and 19 as supplying establishments.

Animal Welfare: Protest

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the level of threat from extremist animal rights protesters.

James Brokenshire: The police continually monitor the level of threat from all extremist groups, including animal rights extremists.

Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has a policy on requirements for the provision of (a) apprenticeships and (b) other training by (i) her Department's prime contractors and (ii) suppliers in the supply chain of such contractors.

Damian Green: The Home Department does not have a mandatory policy on requirements for the provision of apprenticeships or other training by either its prime contractors or suppliers in the supply chain of such contractors. As part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Strategy in 2010-11 79 of our top tier suppliers completed a questionnaire which included a section on apprenticeships. The responses received showed that 47% of the respondents helped to develop the skill set of local communities by providing apprenticeships within the supplier organisation.
	In 2011-12 the Home Department will request that all suppliers with a spend of more than £5,000 respond to the questionnaire. This will provide us with a greater overview of apprenticeships in the Home Department's supply chain.

Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with her Department in each of the last three years.

Damian Green: As part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Strategy in 2010-11, 79 of our top tier suppliers completed a questionnaire which included a section on apprenticeships. The responses received showed that 47% of the respondents helped to develop the skill set of local communities by providing apprenticeships within the supplier organisation. This has resulted in 298 apprenticeships created within the Home Department's supply chain.
	We do not hold centralised information on apprenticeships created directly by Home Department contracts for 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Asylum Seekers: Medical Treatment

Caroline Lucas: UKSC 31; and if she will direct the agency to review each such case where consideration has not yet been given to the Supreme Court's judgment.

Damian Green: Immediately following the HJ and HT judgment the agency initiated a review of all cases which had not yet exhausted their appeal rights. The agency does not, however, routinely review cases which have exhausted their appeal rights and does not plan to do so. The agency provides clear guidance on its website to individuals who have exhausted their appeal rights on how to bring forward further submissions if new circumstances apply since the original asylum decision and appeal determination were made.

Asylum: Sexuality

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum claims were made on the basis of sexual orientation or sexual identity in each of the last six quarters.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency does not routinely collect data on the basis of asylum claims; however, following the HJ and HT Supreme Court ruling in July 2010, arrangements were made to record data manually, but the resulting figures were initially not robust. Improved manual data were subsequently collected for the period April to June 2011 inclusive, as part of an internal audit of sexual orientation claims. Since 1 July, cases involving sexual orientation have been recorded on the agency's electronic case information database and this will provide a better basis for published data.
	Data on claims based on sexual identity are not recorded.

Asylum: Sexuality

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy to remove sexuality asylum cases from the Detained Fast Track category; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: Entry to the detained fast track procedure is determined by reference to published policy. There are no plans to exclude applicants from the detained fast track process solely because their asylum claim is sexuality-related. However, published policy already stipulates that cases may enter and remain in the process only if they are amenable to a quick, fair and sustainable decision. If at the time of application it is apparent that this condition cannot be fulfilled in a sexuality-related persecution claim, or indeed in a claim with any other basis, the applicant will not be entered into the process.

Crime

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences of (a) burglary, (b) sexual assault, (c) rape, (d) grievous bodily harm, (e) robbery, (f) violent disorder, (g) possession of a controlled substance, (h) intent to supply a controlled substance and (i) vehicle theft were recorded in Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency in each of the last three years.

James Brokenshire: Data for the Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency are not collected centrally. The constituency falls within the combined community safety partnership (CSP) areas of Blackpool and Wyre. The available statistics for these combined CSPs are given in the following table.
	
		
			 Offences recorded by the police in the combined community safety partnership areas of Blackpool and Wyre 
			 Number of offences 
			 Offence 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Burglary 2,454 2,309 2,245 
			 Sexual assault on a female 105 126 110 
			 Sexual assault on a male 12 12 28 
			 Rape of a female 52 70 100 
			 Rape of a male 6 3 8 
			 Inflicting GBH with intent 252 170 240 
			 Inflicting GBH without intent 104 82 104 
			 Robbery 177 171 175 
			 Violent disorder 1 3 1 
			 Possession of controlled drugs (cannabis) 324 436 440 
			 Possession of controlled drugs (excluding cannabis) 330 364 401 
			 Trafficking in controlled drugs 308 123 124 
			 Theft of a motor vehicle 515 386 345 
			 Theft from a vehicle 1,270 965 909

Crime: Nature Conservation

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration she has given to establishing measures against (a) smuggling of and (b) illegal trade in wildlife as priorities for the National Crime Agency.

Lynne Featherstone: The National Crime Agency (NCA) Plan sets out the Government's plan for the prioritisation of law enforcement activity against serious and organised criminality.

Crime: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many crimes were reported in York in each of the last four years;
	(2)  how many offences were recorded within the Safer York Partnership area in each year since 2004.

James Brokenshire: York and the York Community Safety Partnership area are coterminous. The available information relates to offences recorded by the police in the area and is given in the table.
	
		
			 Offences recorded by the police in York 
			 Financial year Number 
			 2004-05 23,080 
			 2005-06 22,784 
			 2006-07 20,935 
			 2007-08 18,901 
			 2008-09 17,886 
			 2009-10 14,480 
			 2010-11 15,199

Crime: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences of (a) crime related to vehicles, (b) burglary of a dwelling, (c) other burglary, (d) criminal damage, (e) theft, (f) violence and (g) other crimes were committed in York in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Offences recorded by the police in York 
			 Number 
			 Offence 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Offences against vehicles(1) 1,276 1,254 
			 Burglary in a dwelling 691 753 
			 Other burglary 1,115 1,327 
			 Criminal damage 2,790 2,477 
			 Other theft offences(2) 4,774 5,229 
			 Violence against the person 2,415 2,499 
			 Other crimes 1,419 1,660 
			 Total crime 14,480 15,199 
			 (1) Aggravated vehicle taking, theft of and from a vehicle and vehicle interference. (2 )Excluding offences against vehicles.

Crime: Young People

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the contribution of social media to gang culture and related youth violence; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 18 July 2011
	There has been no formal assessment of the contribution of social media to serious youth violence.
	It is possible for the courts to prohibit use of the internet to facilitate or encourage gang-related violence by adults using an injunction under the Policing and Crime Act 2009. This is where such a response is deemed proportionate and can be effectively monitored.
	Gang injunctions for 14 to 17-year-olds will be piloted later this year.

Special Advisers

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what expenses were claimed by (a) paid and (b) unpaid special advisers working in her Department in the last 12 months.

Damian Green: Over the last 12 months the Department's special advisers claimed a total of £510 in expenses. This compares with £1118 in 2007-08, £1041 in 2008-09 and £717 in 2009-10 claimed by special advisers under the last administration. The Department has no unpaid special advisers.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the carbon dioxide emissions from her Department in (a) June 2010 and (b) June 2011.

Damian Green: The Department's published carbon footprints for 2009-10 of 48,601 tCO2 and 2010-11 of 42,155 tCO2 are based upon energy consumption of all measurable buildings and employee rail, car and air travel while on official duty.
	Carbon dioxide emissions from our buildings are falling against the 2009-10 baseline, due to investment in energy saving infrastructure and tighter controls. This has helped us to achieve a reduction of 17.6% as part of the Prime Minister's target to cut carbon emissions from key central Government offices by 10% in the 12 months to 13 May 2011.
	Carbon dioxide emissions from travel have also fallen as we have rationalised our vehicle fleet and introduced measures to restrict business travel in favour of alternatives such as telephone and video-conferencing.

Departmental Contracts

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the annual value is of her Department's current contracts in each sector in which contracts are held.

Damian Green: In the financial year 2010-11, the Home Department, inclusive of executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), spent £2.9 billion with over 3,500 suppliers. Details of contracts categorised by sector are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Industrial Disputes

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many managers at Grade 7 and above her Department employed to cover the work of junior immigration grades involved in industrial action on 29 and 30 June 2011; and whether she has made an estimate of the cost of employing such staff to provide this cover.

Damian Green: 356 managers at Grade 7 and above were used to cover the work of junior immigration grades in the industrial action on 29 and 30 June 2011. These staff were already employed by the Home Department so there was no additional salary cost.

Departmental Industrial Disputes

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employees of her Department were re-deployed to cover the work of staff involved in industrial action on 29 and 30 June 2011; and what the cost was of (a) overtime payments including travel time, (b) time off in lieu of overtime, (c) travel, accommodation and subsistence costs and (d) bonus and other payments for this purpose.

Damian Green: During the industrial action on 29 and 30 June 2011, a total of 394 employees from a variety of grades were re-assigned to manage the UK Border Agency’s (UKBA) strategic priorities of maintaining border security and managing the vulnerable in our care. The total cost associated with this centrally co-ordinated critical incident planning exercise are not yet available but the accounting process has identified, as at 12 July 2011, a total of £8,398 in related expenditure.
	In Home Office HQ, the Identity and Passport Service, the Criminal Records Bureau and in areas of UKBA, on work not covered by the centrally co-ordinated re-deployment exercise, managers made local arrangements where necessary to ensure that the essential work of the Department continued. Details of these local arrangements are not recorded centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Manpower

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff were based at (a)  London Heathrow, (b) London Gatwick, (c) London Stansted, (d) Birmingham, (e) Manchester, (f) Leeds, (g) Bristol, (h) Edinburgh, (i) Glasgow, (j) Belfast and (k) Cardiff airport in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: holding answer 14 July 2011
	Due to border security considerations the UK Border Agency does not report on staff numbers at individual Ports, but does however report on staff numbers on a regional basis.
	
		
			 Full-time equivalent staff  at 31 March each year 
			  Border and Immigration Agency United Kingdom Border Agency (now including HMRC) 
			  2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 South region including Gatwick, Bristol and Heathrow 2,626 2,347 2,298 3,150 3,021 
			 Central region including Stansted, Birmingham, Cardiff 493 477 505 720 738 
			 North region including Manchester, Edinburgh, Leeds, Glasgow, Belfast 1,419 1,426 1,390 1,733 1,654

Departmental Manpower

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been (a) recruited and (b) made redundant from (i) her Department and (ii) each non-departmental body for which she is responsible since May 2010.

Damian Green: The following table has been compiled using Office for National Statistics guidelines for work force management reporting.
	There has been an external recruitment freeze in place across the civil service since 24 May 2010. The only exceptions to the recruitment freeze are for the graduate fast stream, and truly exceptional business-critical and frontline appointments. External recruitment is only allowed once every effort has been made to fill a role internally, from staff in the redeployment pool, or from elsewhere in the civil service. The recruitment freeze and targeted voluntary exit schemes helped reduce the headcount (paid civil servants) of the Home Office and its Executive agencies from 31,459 on 1 June 2010 to 28,162 on 30 June 2011. The largest proportion of the 3,297 reduction has been achieved through voluntary exit schemes.
	The changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme (CSCS) in December 2010 oblige Departments first to offer voluntary redundancy to any staff identified as being at risk of redundancy, who are in re-deployment, and who have not been able to secure an alternative post. This must take place prior to the Department being allowed to consider whether to issue notice of compulsory redundancy.
	
		
			 Table 1: Staff who have  been (a)  recruited or (b) made redundant since May 2010 
			 Headcount 
			   (a) Staff who have been recruited since May 2010 (b) Staff who have been made redundant since May 2010 
			 (i) Department Home Office and the Executive agencies (1)603 0 
			     
			 (ii) Non-departmental bodies Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) (2)0-5 0 
			  Independent Police Complaints Commissioner (IPCC) 53 26 
			  Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) 33 0 
			  National Policing Improvements Agency (NPIA) 108 9 
			  Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) (2)0-5 0 
			  Security Industry Authority (SIA) 18 0 
			  Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) 7 0 
			 (1) This includes 373 existing civil servants who transferred from other Government departments to the Home Office during the period in question (101 of these transferred in when the Government Equalities Office (GEO) became part of the Home Office in May 2011). (2) The number of individuals identified within this category falls between 0 and 5 and has been redacted in accordance with the Data protection principles to avoid inadvertent identification of particular individuals. Notes: 1. All figures are paid civil servants as to comply with Office for National Statistics definitions. 2. All figures are inclusive of 1 June 2010 to 30 June 2011. Sources: For the Home Office return the data was obtained by Data View, the Home Office's single source of monthly Human Resources data. Individual NDPB returns were manually collated

Departmental Manpower

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to her Department was of employing press and media officers in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The cost of press officers employed between May 2010 and June 2011 was £1,727,459. The Home Office do not employ media officers.

Departmental Official Visits

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times she has visited (a) Buckinghamshire, (b) Surrey, (c) Liverpool and (d) Dorset in an official capacity since May 2010.

Damian Green: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has visited Surrey on three occasions and Dorset on one occasion. No visits by the Secretary of State for the Home Department have taken place to Liverpool or Buckinghamshire.

Departmental Publicity

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on (a) photographs of Ministers, (b) videos of Ministers and (c) other similar products since 12 May 2010.

Lynne Featherstone: Since 12 May 2010, the Home Office staff communications team has spent £1,000 on official photographs of Ministers.
	There has been no spend on videos of Ministers or on other similar products.

Departmental Redundancy

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on redundancy costs since 12 May 2010.

Damian Green: Since 12 May 2010, no members of staff have been made compulsorily redundant and therefore no costs have been incurred.

Business Regulation

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many regulations her Department has introduced (a) in the six months prior to 1 September 2010 and (b) in the six months after 1 September 2010 which it has determined do not impose costs on businesses;
	(2)  how many regulations that impose costs on businesses her Department has (a) introduced and (b) removed since 1 September 2010; what the net effect on the costs on businesses of such introductions and removals was; and what regulations have been excluded from the one-in one-out system because they address (i) emergencies and (ii) systemic financial risks since 1 September 2010;
	(3)  how many regulations that impose costs on businesses her Department (a) introduced and (b) removed in the six months prior to 1 September 2010; and what the net effect on the costs on businesses of such introductions and removals was.

Damian Green: The following tables give information about the regulatory measures introduced/revoked since March 2010, including details of (i) the costs (if any) on businesses and (ii) exclusions from the one-in, one-out system. Statistics about the net effect of the cost to businesses from the introduction and revocation of these regulations are not available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost in time and resources.
	
		
			 Regulations made 
			 Title No. Date made Imposed costs on business? (Yes or No) Excluded from the one-in, one-out system because it addressed (1) emergencies and (2) systemic financial risks? (Yes or No) 
			 The Crime and Disorder (Overview and Scrutiny) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010/616 4 March 2010 No No 
			 The Crime and Disorder (Formulation and Implementation of Strategy) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010/647 6 March 2010 No No 
			 The Crime and Disorder (Formulation and Implementation of Strategy) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010/648 6 March 2010 No No 
			 The Crime and Disorder (Prescribed Information) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010/656 8 March 2010 No No 
			 The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2010 2010/778 10 March 2010 Yes No 
			 The UK Border Agency (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2010 2010/782 15 March 2010 No No 
			 The Asylum Support (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010/784 15 March 2010 No No 
			 The British Nationality (General) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010/785 15 March 2010 No impact assessment prepared No 
			 The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010/817 16 March 2010 No impact assessment prepared No 
			 The Identification and Traceability of Explosives Regulations 2010 2010/1004 25 March 2010 Yes No 
		
	
	
		
			 The Police Authority and Metropolitan Police Authority (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010/1070 29 March 2010 Negligible No 
			 The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records and Registration) (Jersey) Regulations 2010 2010/1087 29 March 2010 No impact assessment available. No 
			 The Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (England, Wales and Scotland) Regulations 2010 2010/1144 31 March 2010 Negligible No 
			 The Identity Cards Act 2006 (Provision of Information with Consent) Regulations 2009 (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010/1180 1 April 2010 No No 
			 The Parental Orders (Prescribed Particulars and Forms of Entry) Regulations 2010 2010/1205 6 April 2010 No No 
			 The Firearms (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010/1759 6 July 2010 Negligible No 
			 The Misuse of Drugs (Amendment No. 2) (England, Wales and Scotland) Regulations 2010 2010/1799 13 July 2010 Negligible No 
			 The Immigration and Nationality (Cost Recovery Fees) (No. 2) Regulations 2010 2010/2226 7 September 2010 Yes No 
			 The Police Pensions (Additional Voluntary Contributions) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010/2235 7 September 2010 Negligible No 
			 The Police Authority (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010/2412 30 September 2010 No No 
			 The Misuse of Drugs (Licence Fees) Regulations 2010 2010/2497 12 October 2010 Yes No 
			 The Controlled Drugs (Drug Precursors) (Intra-Community Trade and Community External Trade) Regulations 2010 2010/2564 19 October 2010 Yes No 
			 The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) (Guernsey) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010/2700 8 November 2010 No No 
			 The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) (Jersey) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010/2701 8 November 2010 No No 
			 The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2010 2010/2702 8 November 2010 No No 
			 The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (No. 2) Regulations 2010 2010/2807 21 November 2010 Yes No 
			 The Police Authority (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2010 2010/2826 24 November 2010 No No 
			 The Licensing Act 2003 (Premises licences and permitted temporary activities) (Forms and notices) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010/2851 29 November 2010 No No 
			 The Immigration (Biometric Registration) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010/2958 13 December 2010 Negligible No 
			 The Private Security Industry Act 2001 (Exemption) (Aviation Security) Regulations 2010 2010/3018 20 December 2010 No No 
			 The Police Authority (Amendment No. 3) Regulations 2010 2010/3030 21 December 2010 No No 
			 The Police Federation (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2011/230 4 February 2011 No No 
			 The Police Act 1996 (Equipment) Regulations 2011 2011/300 9 February 2011 Yes No 
			 The Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (England, Wales and Scotland) Regulations 2011 2011/448 18 February 2011 Negligible No 
			 The Accession (Immigration and Worker Registration) (Revocation, Savings and Consequential Provisions) Regulations 2011 2011/544 24 February 2011 Negligible No 
			 The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records and Registration) (Jersey) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2011/717 10 March 2011 Yes No 
			 The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records and Registration) (Guernsey) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2011/718 10 March 2011 Yes No 
			 The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2011/719 10 March 2011 Yes No 
			 The Immigration and Nationality (Cost Recovery Fees) Regulations 2011 2011/790 14 March 2011 Yes No 
			 The Asylum Support (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2011/907 23 March 2011 No No 
		
	
	
		
			 The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2011 2011/1055 1 April 2011 Yes No 
			 The Civil Partnership (Registration Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2011/1171 26 April 2011 No No 
			 The Registration of Marriages (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2011/1172 26 April 2011 No No 
			 The Crime and Disorder (Formulation and Implementation of Strategy) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2011/1230 9 May 2011 No No 
			 The Immigration (European Economic Area) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2011/1247 9 May 2011 No No 
			 The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Monetary Penalty Notices and Consents for Interceptions) Regulations 2011 2011/1340 26 May 2011 No No 
			 The Gender Recognition Register (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2011/1607 29 June 2011 No No 
		
	
	
		
			 Regulations revoked 
			 Title No. Date revoked Imposed costs on business? (Yes or No) Excluded from the one-in, one-out system because it addressed (1) emergencies and (2) systemic financial risks? (Yes or No) 
			 The Misuse of Drugs (Licence Fees) Regulations 1986 1986/416 15 November 2010 Yes No 
			 Forms of Entry for The Parental Orders Regulations 1994 1994/2981 30 April 2010 No No 
			 The Misuse of Drugs (Licence Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 2003/611 15 November 2010 Yes No 
			 The Accession (Immigration and Worker Registration) Regulations 2004 2004/1219 1 May 2011 No No 
			 Regulation 3 The Gender Recognition Register Regulations 2005 2005/912 20 July 2011 No No 
			 The Private Security Industry Act 2001 (Exemption) (Aviation Security) Regulations 2006 2006/428 14 January 2011 Yes No 
			 Paragraph 7 of Schedule 5 The Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 2006/1003 1 May 2011 No No 
			 Paragraph 1 of Schedule 2 The Accession (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) Regulations 2006 2006/3317 1 May 2011 No No 
			 Regulation 3 The Accession (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 2007/475 1 May 2011 No No 
			 The Accession (Immigration and Worker Registration) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 2007/928 1 May 2011 No No 
			 Regulation 2 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 Regulations (Amendment) Regulations 2007 2007/2504 14 January 2011 No No 
			 Regulation 3 The Accession (Worker Authorisation and Worker Registration) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 2007/3012 1 May 2011 No No 
			 The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2009 2009/816 10 March 2010 Yes No 
			 The Accession (Immigration and Worker Registration) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 2009/892 1 May 2011 Negligible No 
			 The Asylum Support (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2009 2009/1388 12 April 2010 No No 
			 The UK Border Agency (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2009 2009/2133 7 April 2010 No No 
			 Regulation 3 of the Accession (Worker Authorisation and Worker Registration) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 2009/2426 1 May 2011 No No 
			 The Private Security Industry Act 2001 (Exemption) (Aviation Security) Regulations 2006 (Amendment) Regulations 2009 2009/2964 14 January 2011 No No 
			 Regulation 3 of the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (England, Wales and Scotland) Regulations 2009 2009/3136 28 March 2011 Yes No 
		
	
	
		
			 The Immigration and Nationality (Cost Recovery Fees) Regulations 2010 2010/228 6 April 2011 Yes No 
			 The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2010 2010/778 21 November 2010 Yes No 
			 The Asylum Support (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010/784 23 March 2010 Yes No 
			 Paragraph (a) of regulation 3 of the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (England, Wales and Scotland) Regulations 2010 2010/1144 28 March 2011 Negligible No 
			 Immigration and Nationality (Cost Recovery Fees) (No. 2) Regulations 2010 2010/2226 6 April 2011 Yes No 
			 Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (No. 2) Regulations 2010 2010/2807 6 April 2011 Yes No

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions a request for a meeting by an hon. Member of each political party was refused by (a) a Minister in her Department directly and (b) her Department on behalf of a Minister in November 2010.

Damian Green: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 12 July 2011, Official Report, columns 273-74W.

Deportation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the UK Border Agency takes prior to setting removal directions to ensure that the removal is not inconsistent with any change in (a) law, (b) policy and (c) any court or tribunal decision arising (i) after the decision that a person is to be removed and (ii) after any appeal against such a decision to remove has been finally decided.

Damian Green: UK Border Agency staff are provided with comprehensive guidance on the information to be considered and assessed when making a decision to remove individuals from the UK. Each case will be considered on its individual merits, which will include any extenuating compassionate circumstances, together with any recent changes to law, policy, or court or tribunal decisions.
	The procedures to be followed and the factors to be considered when setting removal directions can be found in the Enforcement Instructions and Guidance (EIG) manual at:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/enforcement/detentionandremovals/
	Separately UK Border Agency Staff are notified as and when important policy changes or court or tribunal decisions might impact on a decision to remove.

Deportation

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which unit of her Department is responsible for (a) accompanying, (b) monitoring and (c) reporting on the treatment of those to be removed from the UK during each stage of the removal process.

Damian Green: The Government expect that those with no right to stay in the UK leave voluntarily. Many do so but for those who fail to leave we have to enforce their departure. Our arrangements for doing so can extend to individuals being escorted on to an aircraft or, for a smaller number, overseas. The UK Border Agency's Criminality and Detention Group is responsible for arranging the escort of individuals who are detained prior to removal from the UK and for monitoring and reporting on their treatment immediately prior to and during removal.

Deportation

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedure her Department follows to accredit private security escorts responsible for enforced removals; and whether an assessment of the training in the use of handcuffs and other mechanical restraints is a mandatory element of the accreditation process.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has used private sector escorting companies to undertake enforced removals for nearly 20 years. These companies operate within a clear framework set out in legislation and in a set of operating standards and instructions which are published on the Agency's website.
	Individuals employed to work as detention custody officers (DCOs) must be certified before they can undertake duties on behalf of the UK Border Agency. The process, which includes gaining security clearance and completing mandatory control and restraint training, is set out in Detention Service Order 04-2011, entitled Detainee Custody Officer Certification, available on the UK Border Agency website:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/detention-services-orders/
	All DCOs are trained in control and restraint techniques accredited by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), and receive refresher training every 12 months as a mandatory condition of their individual certification to work as a DCO. The control and restraint training includes the use of two types of handcuffs and a leg restraint which takes the form of a velcro strap. The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) also provides UKBA contracted escorting staff with additional training in the use of rigid bar handcuffs.

Detection Rates: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the crime detection rate was for North Yorkshire Police Force in each year since 2005-06.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Detection rates for crimes recorded in North Yorkshire 
			 Financial year Detection rate (%) 
			 2005-06 35 
			 2006-07 33 
			 2007-08 33 
			 2008-09 31 
			 2009-10 31 
			 2010-11 31

Domestic Violence

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  which police forces have trained staff in the domestic abuse, stalking and harassment and honour-based violence risk identification and assessment and management model;
	(2)  whether she has any plans to ensure that the domestic abuse, stalking and harassment and honour-based violence risk identification and assessment and management model is used by all police forces in England and Wales;
	(3)  how many police forces use the domestic abuse, stalking and harassment and honour-based violence risk identification, assessment and management model; and how many cases of homicide there were where there was (a) prior stalking and (b) harassment behaviour by a former partner, in each such police force area.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 18 July 2011
	The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Council accredited the Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour Based Violence (DASH) Risk Identification, Assessment and Management Model to be implemented across all police services in the UK from March 2009. Although we understand that the majority of forces currently use DASH it is for individual forces to decide which risk assessment models to use and the training their officers and staff receive.

Entry Clearances

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken to ensure consistency in decision-making in respect of the admittance to the UK of (a) Rael Salah and (b) Pastor John Hagee.

Damian Green: The Government do not routinely comment on individual exclusion cases.
	The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has the power to exclude or deport individuals whose conduct she considers non-conducive to the public good.

Entry Clearances: Entertainers

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many applications to enter the UK with an entertainment visa under Paragraph 46S of requirements for leave to enter have been (a) received and (b) refused since 2005;
	(2)  how applications to enter the UK with an entertainment visa under Paragraph 46S of requirements for leave to enter are assessed in respect of (a) family ties to the home country and (b) earnings threshold in pounds sterling equivalent.

Damian Green: The amendment of the Immigration Rules to include provision for leave to enter as an Entertainer Visitor (Paragraph 46S) came into effect on 27 November 2008. The number of visa applications in this category that were (a) received; and (b) refused, to 31 December 2010 were 9,075 and 1,999, respectively.
	All non-EEA nationals seeking leave to enter as a visitor, including as an Entertainer Visitor, must show, amongst other things, that they:
	(a) intend to come to the UK for a limited period not exceeding six months;
	(b) will either (i) be able to adequately maintain and accommodate themselves, or (ii) be adequately maintained and accommodated, during their stay without recourse to public funds; and
	(c) will be able to meet the cost of their return or onward journey.
	The onus is on the applicant to provide evidence to show that these and the other requirements for entry are met.
	All visa applications are assessed on their individual merits. It is standard practice to take into consideration an applicant's personal and family circumstances overseas when assessing their intentions. There is no earnings threshold which Entertainer or other categories of visitor must meet but they will be expected to show that they or their sponsors have sufficient funds for the trip.

Entry Clearances: Higher Education

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration she has given in determining her policy on visas to the introduction of exemptions from visa requirements for those undertaking research and development work at a university.

Damian Green: There are no exemptions from visa requirements for those undertaking particular types of work under tier 2 of the points-based system. However, those undertaking work in an occupation requiring PhD-level skills are given high priority when allocating places in the annual limit for tier 2. There is additional provision for sponsored researchers in tier 5 of the points-based system and the new tier 1 (exceptional talent) route will be a further alternative for world leaders in their field.

Identity Cards: Finance

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of her Department's budget was allocated to the (a) implementation and (b) management of identity cards.

Damian Green: Between 2003 and March 2006, the Home Office spent a total of £41 million developing the policy, legislation and business case for ID cards which represents approximately 0.1% of the Home Office Budget for that period.
	The ID Cards Project joined the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) on its establishment in April 2006 and IPS spent a total of £251 million on set-up costs between April 2006 and March 2010, approximately 0.5% of the Home Office Budget for that period.
	Approximately £8 million was spent on delivering ID cards from their launch in October 2009 until the decommissioning of the National Identity Scheme (NIS), representing less than 0.1% of the Home Office Budget for that period.

Illegal Immigrants

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal migrants have failed to attend an immigration reporting centre after being arrested at the border and requested to do so on the following day.

Damian Green: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Immigrants: Detainees

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of time an individual awaiting an upper tribunal hearing was kept in detention in the latest period for which figures are available.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency's Case Information Database indicates that for detained subjects, between the months of March 2010 and February 2011, the average length of time between an application for permission to appeal and the Upper Tribunal hearing outcome was 32.65 weeks. The figures are provisional and have not been subject to the detailed checks that apply to our National Statistics.

Marriage

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for future arrangements for the certificate of approval for marriages.

Damian Green: The Government abolished the Certificate of Approval scheme on 9 May 2011. We have no plans to reintroduce the scheme which was ineffective in tackling sham marriage and which the courts had ruled incompatible with the European convention on human rights. The family migration consultation launched on 13 July proposes new measures aimed at tackling sham marriages and other abuse, promoting integration and reducing burdens on the taxpayer.

Metropolitan Police: Firearms

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Metropolitan police officers are qualified in the use of firearms.

James Brokenshire: The latest available figures for 2009-10 show that there were 2,856 authorised firearms officers in the Metropolitan police force.

National Security Adviser

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she had with the National Security Adviser in (a) January, (b) March and (c) June 2011.

Damian Green: holding answer 18 July 2011
	The Secretary of State for the Home Department meets the National Security Adviser on a regular basis as part of the National Security Council briefing committees. For security reasons what was discussed cannot be disclosed.

National Security Council

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what role and responsibilities she has in relation to the National Security Council; and what recent contribution she has made to its work.

James Brokenshire: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), is a member of the National Security Council (NSC) which meets regularly to ensure prompt, coherent, co-ordinated and informed decision making on all strategic defence and security issues.
	The Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) sets out those areas for which the Home Secretary is accountable to the NSC: Counter-Terrorism, Border Security and Serious Organised Crime.

National Wildlife Crime Unit

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether all the responsibilities of the National Wildlife Crime Unit are to be incorporated into the National Crime Agency.

Lynne Featherstone: The National Crime Agency (NCA) plan sets out the Government’s plan for the scope and functionality of the NCA. The planning and implementation phase has now begun and will include detailed consideration of the functions of the new agency.

Organised Crime

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are in place to address the activities of organised gangs engaged in benefit and other frauds.

James Brokenshire: As part of the work to strengthen the response to organised crime, the key law enforcement agencies—the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), UK Border Agency and the police—are pooling their intelligence on organised criminal groups. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, run by the City of London police, is also a key contributor. A good example of joint working against organised criminal groups engaged in fraud is the work of the Northern Ireland Organised Crime Task Force (OCTF) where HMRC, SOCA, the Northern Ireland Department of Justice and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, have been active in tackling organised criminal gangs involved in fuels duty fraud. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has specialist fraud investigation teams which focus specifically on identifying and disrupting organised fraud attacks on the benefits system. Investigations are undertaken in partnership with other agencies such as local authorities, the police and HMRC. There is also a specialist Financial Investigation Unit, which carries out financial investigations to track proceeds of crime and seeks to recover assets where benefit fraud has been committed against DWP. In the last financial year, DWP teams prosecuted 1,076 cases of organised fraud and identified criminal assets totalling £8.74 million of which around £3.5 million was recovered by confiscation orders.

Passport Agency: ICT

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the original estimate, at current prices, was for the cost to the public purse of the Siemens IT system for the Passport Agency; what the final cost, at current prices, was at the time of completion; and whether additional costs have been incurred since completion.

Damian Green: At the time of contract award, the anticipated contract value was between £80 to £100 million over a 10-year period. The contract duration extended to 11 years at a total cost of approximately £365 million.
	The increase in costs over the term of the Siemens contract can be attributed to numerous factors including additional demand for passports, enhancements of the IT infrastructure and business processes to accommodate changes in policy, response to changes in security threats and customer service improvements.

Police

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made on the impact of deploying officers on single police patrol on levels of (a) violent knife crime, (b) anti-social behaviour and (c) gun crime.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 18 July 2011
	The deployment of officers patrolling on their own, rather than in pairs, maximises visibility and increases engagement with the public, by potentially doubling the policing visibility within a given neighbourhood. However, the deployment patterns of police officers are a matter for individual chief constables, working with their police authorities. No assessment has been made by the Home Office of the effects of single police patrol on the level of crime or antisocial behaviour.

Police

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects of single police patrols on levels of (a) knife crime, (b) gun crime and (c) anti-social behaviour.

James Brokenshire: The deployment of officers patrolling on their own, rather than in pairs, maximises visibility and increases engagement with the public, by potentially doubling the policing visibility within a given neighbourhood. However, the deployment patterns of police officers are a matter for individual chief constables, working with their police authorities. No assessment has been made by the Home Office of the effects of single police patrol on the level of crime or antisocial behaviour.

Police

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration she has given to carrying out value for money profiles of police forces to measure the amount of uniformed officer time spent on each type of activity.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 18 July 2011
	HM Inspectorate of Constabulary has published value for money profiles on its website:
	www.hmic.gov.uk
	which include breakdowns of the police workforce by function. In addition, in its report “Demanding Times” (March 2011), HM Inspectorate of Constabulary identified the different police roles and quantified each category. That report also included the results of surveys of the availability and visibility of warranted police officers and police community support officers in England and Wales. More detailed measurement of the time spent by officers on each type of activity that they undertake would create a disproportionate bureaucratic burden on the police service.

Police Cautions

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many police cautions were issued in (a) England and Wales, (b) Cheshire and (c) City of Chester constituency in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many police cautions were issued for assault in (a) England and Wales, (b) Cheshire and (c) City of Chester constituency in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many police cautions were issued for burglary in (a) England and Wales, (b) Cheshire and (c) City of Chester constituency in each year since 1997.

James Brokenshire: Information available centrally does not allow a breakdown of cases by parliamentary constituency.
	Data provided by the Ministry of Justice, showing the numbers of offenders cautioned for all offences, burglary and assault in England and Wales and Cheshire police force area from 1997 to 2010 can be viewed in the following tables.
	
		
			 Offenders cautioned (1,2)  for all offences, burglary and assault (3)  in England and Wales and Cheshire police force area, 1997 to 2010 
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
			 Cheshire        
			 Total cautions 4,048 4,587 3,592 3,111 2,780 2,085 3,051 
		
	
	
		
			 Of which:        
			 Burglary 27 41 30 31 32 9 27 
			 Assault 136 134 145 129 166 191 304 
			         
			 England and Wales        
			 Total cautions 282,093 287,894 266,132 238,987 229,860 225,358 241,806 
			 Of which:        
			 Burglary 3,339 3,122 2,697 2,177 2,044 1,909 1,954 
			 Assault 9,110 13,158 16,993 17,210 18,155 17,294 19,786 
		
	
	
		
			  2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Cheshire        
			 Total cautions 3,268 4,572 5,318 4,812 4,799 3,574 3,803 
			 Of which:        
			 Burglary 18 27 76 38 41 27 36 
			 Assault 379 844 1,524 1,275 1,161 845 824 
			         
			 England and Wales        
			 Total cautions 255,768 298,945 349,977 362,895 327,892 290,645 242,831 
			 Of which:        
			 Burglary 2,057 2,375 2,881 2,524 2,056 1,742 1,413 
			 Assault 26,148 40,818 64,649 72,575 69,536 64,238 54,254 
			 (1) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When an offender has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (2) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 10 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (3) Includes: Assault on a constable and common assault offences. Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.

Police Cautions: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police cautions were issued for (a) drug offences, (b) burglary, (c) assaults and (d) vehicle crime in London in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of cautions issued in the Metropolitan police force area (including the City of London) for drugs offences, burglary, assaults and vehicle crime, from 2006 to 2010 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
	Cautions and court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in the spring, 2012.
	
		
			 Number of cautions issued for drugs offences, burglary, assaults (1)  and vehicle crime (2 ) in the Metropolitan police force area 2006-10 (3, 4, 5) 
			 Metropolitan police force area (6) 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Drugs offences 7,621 8,284 8,730 7,461 7,018 
			 Burglary 979 877 610 398 232 
			 Assault(1) 11,484 14,444 15,200 13,821 12,300 
			 Vehicle crime(2) 506 519 374 228 170 
			 (1) Includes offences of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), malicious wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm (GBH) and summary offences of assault on a constable and common assault. (2) Includes notifiable offences of; aggravated taking of a vehicle: stealing from vehicles; stealing and unauthorised taking of motor vehicles; interference with motor vehicles. (3) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When an offender has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (4) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (5) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (6) Includes City of London police force area. Source: Justice Statistical Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.

Police: Bureaucracy

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much time police officers spent on (a) crime incident-specific activities, (b) non-crime incident-specific activities and (c) activities not related to specific incidents in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is given in the table for the years 2006-07 and 2007-08. For later years, the information is not available as collection of data on police activity has been discontinued to reduce the bureaucratic burden on the police.
	
		
			 Table 1: Percentage of police time spent on crime-related incidents, non-crime related incidents and non-incident specific activity, 2006-07 and 2007-08 
			  Percentage of total police officer time 
			  2006-07 2007-08 
			 Crime Related Incidents 33.1 32.6 
			 Non-crime Related Incidents 16.0 15.6 
		
	
	
		
			 Non-incident specific 50.9 51.7 
			 Notes: 1. Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding errors. 2. The information is taken from activity analysis, which was collected by all forces over a two-week period in each year and provides a snapshot of how officers are deployed. 3. 2007-08 excludes Staffordshire.

Police: Length of Service

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officers of each rank in each police authority area will have completed 30 years service on 1 April 2012; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Based on the latest available information of police officers in post with 28 years or more length of service as at 31 March 2010, and assuming none of these would have left post in the meantime, the following table gives the number of officers that would have completed 30 years or more length of service on 1 April 2012, by police force area and rank.
	
		
			 The number of police officers which have 28 years or more length of service as at 31 March 2010,  by police force area and rank (1 2) 
			  ACPO Chief Superintendent Superintendent Chief Inspector Inspector Sergeant Constable Total 
			 Avon and Somerset 1 2 7 8 35 34 83 170 
			 Bedfordshire 2 0 3 2 9 16 40 72 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 3 1 5 7 11 50 78 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cleveland 1 2 2 4 17 28 81 135 
			 Cumbria 0 1 2 3 11 17 42 76 
			 Derbyshire 2 3 6 5 20 26 80 142 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 4 7 5 31 36 83 167 
			 Dorset 2 3 2 3 9 6 27 52 
			 Durham 1 3 5 3 18 21 46 97 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1 3 0 5 8 4 38 59 
			 Essex 1 2 7 5 24 34 98 171 
			 Gloucestershire 1 2 1 2 7 10 35 58 
			 Greater Manchester 2 5 7 17 54 87 232 404 
			 Gwent 1 2 2 6 9 15 27 62 
			 Hampshire 2 2 11 6 32 46 97 196 
			 Hertfordshire 3 4 4 4 16 24 61 116 
			 Humberside 1 4 5 4 15 35 63 127 
			 Kent 4 3 7 7 19 25 112 177 
			 Lancashire 2 1 3 6 32 39 112 195 
			 Leicestershire 2 1 1 6 18 24 52 104 
			 Lincolnshire 1 0 0 1 13 10 42 67 
			 London, City of 2 1 3 4 11 9 39 69 
			 Merseyside 2 4 6 11 39 70 177 309 
			 Metropolitan Police 15 39 87 121 421 836 1,426 2,945 
			 Norfolk 1 1 1 1 8 13 24 49 
			 Northamptonshire 2 2 2 5 8 10 39 68 
			 Northumbria 2 5 3 8 24 34 71 147 
			 North Wales 0 2 2 0 4 13 39 60 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 1 1 9 15 23 49 
			 Nottinghamshire 2 3 4 12 30 36 108 195 
			 South Wales 1 5 2 9 24 28 96 165 
			 South Yorkshire 1 3 7 5 24 34 89 163 
			 Staffordshire 1 1 5 3 20 24 79 133 
			 Suffolk 2 2 3 0 15 8 24 54 
			 Surrey 0 2 3 3 17 30 58 113 
			 Sussex 1 5 3 5 19 28 57 118 
		
	
	
		
			 Thames Valley 2 4 7 7 35 60 139 254 
			 Warwickshire 1 1 5 1 3 11 38 60 
			 West Mercia 4 3 6 5 31 33 124 206 
			 West Midlands 0 10 13 5 65 104 337 534 
			 West Yorkshire 3 9 14 18 48 85 315 492 
			 Wiltshire 1 4 3 4 13 19 62 106 
			 Total 75 156 263 335 1,272 2,048 4,865 9,014 
			 (1) Figures are provisional and have not been verified by forces. (2) Cheshire is unable to provide length of service figures.

Police: Manpower

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the Macpherson report, what steps she plans to take to ensure that uniformed police personnel in each police authority area reflect the communities they serve; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 18 July 2011
	Recruitment and deployment decisions are the responsibility of police forces locally. From May 2012, Police and Crime Commissioners will hold chief constables to account for the steps that they take to ensure that uniformed police personnel reflect the communities they serve.

Police: Pay

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy in her negotiations with the Police Federation on police pay and conditions to be bound by decisions of the arbitration process.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 30 June 2011
	No. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), will consider the recommendations of the police negotiating machinery very carefully before making any decisions on police pay and conditions of service in line with her statutory responsibilities.

Police: Recruitment

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has made any changes to future arrangements for the recruitment and training of police officers as a consequence of her discussions with (a) the Association of Chief Police Officers, (b) police authorities and (c) police representative bodies; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 18 July 2011
	No decisions have been made in respect of future arrangements for police recruitment and training.

Police: Surveillance

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what steps she plans to take to ensure that the disclosure process in protester trials where an undercover officer was involved is investigated thoroughly;
	(2)  if she will request that the independent inquiry into the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station cases examines (a) the role played by the National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU) in the disclosure of evidence and (b) any discussions between the NPOIU and the Crown Prosecution Service on the production of evidence to the courts;
	(3)  if she will meet campaigners directly affected by undercover policing;
	(4)  if she will make a statement to the House following the conclusion of the inquiry into the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station cases.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 18 July 2011
	There are a number of reviews that have been commissioned to address concerns that have come out of the Mark Kennedy case. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is carrying-out an independent investigation into disclosure issues relating to the case. The DPP has also commissioned a separate review of the CPS decisions in this case. HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) is undertaking a review of the operational accountability of undercover work conducted by the National Public Order Intelligence Unit and how intelligence activity is authorised in accordance with the law, including consideration of the proportionality of covert tactics in terms of their impact on protest activity. The full Terms of Reference can be found on the HMIC website. HMIC has met with campaigners with, an interest in the issues covered by the Review.
	The Government have given a commitment to ensure that the findings of the Review will be published by HMIC and will consider the conclusions from the findings before taking a decision on whether a statement to the House is appropriate.

Police: Training

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to ensure that people who join the police service as special constables or police community support officers with the intention of becoming fully warranted police officers do not leave before they complete their training; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the adequacy of recruitment and retention of special constables and police community support officers in each police authority area in ensuring that they complete their training; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Special constables and police community support officers (PCSOs) are integral parts of the policing family and the Government are very supportive of the roles that they perform.
	Recruitment, retention and training decisions regarding special constables and PCSOs are the responsibility of chief constables and their police authorities.

Police: Training

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to ensure that there are sufficient numbers of people entering training to become fully warranted police officers in each policy authority area; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The number of police officers recruited in each force is for chief constables and their police authorities to determine.

Police: Training

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the average length of time taken for special constables or police community support officers to complete their training to qualify as a warranted uniformed officer in each police authority area; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The length of time expected for completion of the initial policing learning programme, including the diploma in policing, is two years. This is the time usually expected for completion by a student police officer recruited as a warranted officer and paid as such throughout the training period, the completion of which is marked by a pay increment.
	A special constable may complete the full initial learning programme and the length of time which this will take will depend on local arrangements, the number of hours the individual is able to volunteer, and their rate of progress. The Metropolitan police are making arrangements for special constables to complete training and will be best placed to provide the detailed information concerning special constables in the Metropolitan police area.
	A police community support officer (PCSO) is not able to complete the full training as a regular police constable because PCSOs do not have police powers and cannot be assessed using the necessary powers. A PCSO may complete the pre-join knowledge course and may achieve competence in four of the ten assessed modules which form part of the diploma. The length of time that this requires varies but is often completed within 12 months. If the PCSO goes on to be recruited as a regular officer and completes training, this should not require more than 12 months to complete. A PCSO may also be a special constable but the time for completion again depends on their availability for the work based assessment using police powers, and on progress.

Police: Training

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures she plans to put in place to maintain public protection during deployment of police personnel who undertake public duties before they have completed their training; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Arrangements for the deployment of police personnel for the protection of the public are a matter for individual chief constables, who are responsible for ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation and policy to protect the public at all times.
	All student police officers and all special constables, are deployed under "accompanied patrol" until such time as they are assessed as competent for "independent patrol". Accompanied patrol means that the trainee will be on duty with a fully qualified regular police officer. The criteria for independent patrol are set by the Association of Chief Constables-led Central Authority for Initial Learning, and the National Policing Improvement Agency is the executive arm of the Central Authority.
	The criteria are that the individual must be assessed as competent to:
	provide initial support to victims and witnesses;
	provide an initial response to incidents;
	arrest, detain and report individuals;
	searching individuals in a policing context;
	search vehicles, premises and open spaces; and
	manage conflict in a policing context.
	In addition, most police forces apply a local check list called the Police Action Check List, which provides assurance to local supervisors of the level of experience gained under accompanied patrol Initial Policing Learning Programme, including the diploma in policing is a vocational work-based approach to training, closely supervised throughout. This is a deliberate choice to provide maximum assurance of operational competence, particularly with reference to the protection of the public. Officers are not qualified until such time as they are formally assessed as competent.

Protection of Freedoms Bill

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department plans to develop statutory guidance under the Protection of Freedoms Bill to facilitate the implementation of changes across jurisdictions and sectors.

Damian Green: holding answer 18 July 2011
	The Protection of Freedoms Bill includes a number of provisions which place a duty or confer a power on specified persons to prepare statutory guidance or codes of practice. The relevant provisions are as follows:
	clause 22—duty on the Secretary of State to give guidance on the making or renewing of a determination that fingerprints or DNA profiles may be retained for the purposes of national security;
	clause 24—duty on the National DNA Database Strategy Board to issue guidance about the destruction of DNA samples and DNA profiles retained under part 5 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984;
	clause 29—duty on the Secretary of State to prepare a code of practice containing guidance about surveillance camera systems;
	clause 47—duty on the Secretary of State to prepare a code of practice containing guidance about the exercise of powers of entry and associated powers (schedule 3 confers a power on the Welsh Ministers to prepare a code of practice in respect devolved powers of entry in Wales); and
	clause 61—duty on the Secretary of State to prepare a code of practice containing guidance about the exercise of stop and search powers under sections 43, 43A and 43B of the Terrorism Act 2000.
	In addition, we are considering whether guidance to regulated activity providers and personnel suppliers in relation to the revised disclosure and barring regime (as provided for in part 5 of the Bill) should be placed on a statutory footing; we will announce our conclusions in advance of the Bill's Report stage. As part of such consideration we are consulting the Northern Ireland Department for Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

Public Order

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what guidance her Department issues to police forces on offences under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  whether she has any plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has supported the Association of Chief Police Officers in updating the legal section of the police’s Manual of Guidance “Keeping the Peace” to ensure that it contains material on section 5 which properly reflects freedom of expression concerns.
	While the Government currently have no plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, the Government are committed to engaging with key partners across the criminal justice system, community groups and civil liberties groups to assess the benefits of removing ‘insulting’ from section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986.

Southern Cross: Vetting

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the likely number of Criminal Records Bureau checks to be required in respect of former Southern Cross employees who transfer to a new operator; and what plans she has to ensure this process is completed as soon as possible.

Lynne Featherstone: The decision to obtain new Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks for former Southern Cross employees would be one for any new operator or other regulatory body to make. If certificates are required, the CRB will process all applications within its Published Service Standards (PSS), which are to complete 90% of enhanced checks within 28 days and 95% of standard checks within 10 days. The CRB has been exceeding its PSS consistently since December 2010. In June the bureau issued over 96% of enhanced certificates within the target of 28 days.

Terrorism

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer question (a) 59743, (b) 59744, (c) 59745, (d) 59746 and (e) 59753, on the Prevent Strategy, tabled on 9 June 2011 for answer on 13 June.

James Brokenshire: I refer the right hon. Member to my answers of 6 July 2011, Official Report, columns 1216-17W.

Theft: Metal

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on (a) the number of metal thefts and (b) monetary value of stolen metal from church buildings in (i) Wyre Forest and (ii) Worcestershire in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office is responsible for the police recorded crime statistics. Offences of theft of metal would be recorded under the Home Office offence classification of ‘Other theft or unauthorised taking'. As such, theft of metal offences cannot be separately identified from other offences recorded within this classification. Information on the value of goods stolen is not collected centrally in the police recorded crime statistics.

Theft: Metal

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she (a) has implemented and (b) plans to implement any of the recommendations of the Working Party of the Church Building Council on Metal Theft.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 13 July 2011
	The Home Office recently met officials from the Church Building Council to discuss their report. A number of its recommendations are in line with Government policy and already form part of the work plan being delivered by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Metal Theft Working Group and its partners. More generally, the Government are considering what more can be done to reduce the theft of metal.

UK Border Agency: Data Protection

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of changing data protection guidance for UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of changing data protection guidance for UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents who are sponsors for visa applications for friends or family overseas;
	(3)  how many versions of data protection guidance have been issued to UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents who are sponsors for visa applications for friends or family overseas in the last five years;
	(4)  how many versions of data protection guidance have been issued to UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents in the last five years;
	(5)  when data protection guidance was issued to UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents in the last five years;
	(6)  when data protection guidance was issued to UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents who are sponsors for visa applications for friends or family overseas in the last five years;
	(7)  when the most recent data protection guidance was issued to UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents who are sponsors for visa applications for friends or family overseas;
	(8)  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the most recent data protection guidance was issued to UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents;
	(9)  what guidance has been issued to UK Border Agency staff on data protection requirements for hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents;
	(10)  what guidance has been issued to UK Border Agency staff on data protection requirements for hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents who are sponsors for visa applications for friends or family overseas.

Damian Green: The Data Protection Act 1998 regulates the processing of personal data. Personal data means data that relate to a living individual regardless of their nationality, immigration status or where they are located in the world. The agency's guidance is applicable to both in-country applications, overseas applications and to those who are in detention.
	The current guidance was put in place in 2003 and has been updated as and when necessary since then, according to inquiries from colleagues across the agency which have necessitated clarification. Amendments were also made in 2005 as a result of the Freedom of Information Act making reference to that Act and its provisions.
	The information management team recently produced an information fact sheet for Members of Parliament acting on behalf of their constituents in response to feedback from Members of Parliament. The fact sheet, which was sent to all Members on 14 July 2011, was produced to clarify our current guidance. The fact sheet sets out how we will approach requests for information from MPs in a number of common scenarios.
	The agency's guidance is publicly accessible via the UK Border Agency website—it is contained within chapter 24 ‘Disclosure of Information’ via the ‘Policy and Law pages’ (‘Immigration Directorate Instructions’). This guidance is currently being rewritten to give agency staff a clearer steer on data protection and disclosing information and also highlight the particular role and work of Members of Parliament when representing constituents.
	We do not hold records for the number of versions there have been since 2003, although there have not been major alterations to it since its inception.
	There has been no additional cost to the public purse, over and above the day-to-day operational costs of the UK Border Agency's information management team who oversee Data Protection Policy guidance. The team updates guidance as part of their role and responds to inquiries on data protection policy from colleagues across the agency on a day-to-day basis (including the agency's MPs' Liaison Unit).

UK Border Agency Worker Registration Scheme

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications to the UK Border Agency Worker Registration Scheme have been refused since the establishment of the scheme.

Damian Green: The Worker Registration Scheme was established in May 2004 and ended on 30 April 2011. The number of refused applications is provided in the following table.
	
		
			 WRS applications refused between 1 May 2004 and 30 June 2011 (1) 
			 Case outcome Year refused WRS first application WRS renewal application Total 
			 Refused 2004 (May-December) 1,183 78 1,261 
			  2005 1,682 188 1,870 
			  2006 1,382 419 1,801 
			  2007 1,055 511 1,566 
			  2008 1,765 919 2,684 
			  2009 1,324 926 2,250 
			  2010 752 715 1,467 
			  2011 (January-June) 163 285 448 
			  Total 9,306 4,041 13,347 
			 (1) While the scheme ended on 30 April at that point a number of valid applications were on hold awaiting further information from the applicant or their employer, so processing continued after the closure of the scheme until all applications had been cleared. This work extended into early June. Note: The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

Violent and Sex Offender Register

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2011, Official Report, column 365W, on the Violent and Sex Offender Register, 
	(1)  if she will name those registered sex offenders who do not have a recorded address or have no fixed abode on the Violent Sex Offender Register (ViSOR); and if she will give details of the last known whereabouts of those registered sex offenders who do not have a recorded address or have no fixed abode on ViSOR;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to identify the locations of the persons who do not have an address recorded or have no fixed abode; and what steps she plans to take regarding those people whose location or address is not known.

Lynne Featherstone: Under Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, where a registered sex offender has no sole or main residence, they are required to notify the police of the address or location of a place where they can regularly be found and remain under active police management.
	Where an individual breaches their notification requirements all inquiries will be made to locate them via checks with other agencies who may have information and intelligence on their whereabouts. Details will be circulated on ViSOR and via the Police National Computer (PNC). Any public disclosure of details relating to sex offenders who are missing will be considered by the police on a case by case basis and would be made in accordance with obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998.
	The Home Office is currently consulting on proposals which would require registered sex offenders to notify weekly where they are recorded as having ‘no fixed abode’:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/about-us/consultations/notification-sex-offenders/

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Birds

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what timetable has been set for the classification of marine special protection areas under the EU Birds Directive for birds at sea for (a) the UK and (b) England; and what assessment she has made of progress towards meeting the Government's objective of completing an ecologically coherent network of marine protected areas by 2012;
	(2)  whether marine conservation zones will be designated for mobile species including seabirds, cetaceans and basking sharks; under what conditions such designations may be made; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what the timetable is for classifying maintenance extensions for breeding seabird special protection areas under Joint Nature Conservation Committee guidance;
	(4)  how many terrestrial special protection areas (SPAs) are classified for breeding seabirds; and whether SPA protection has been extended to the marine foraging areas in respect of each area.

Richard Benyon: All naturally occurring wild birds, including seabirds, are protected by the provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 and the Offshore Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 2007. This legislation transposes the EC Wild Birds Directive and, in particular, prohibits the deliberate killing or taking of wild birds and provides for the classification of special protection areas (SPAs) for birds in both English and UK waters.
	To date, 107 SPAs with marine components have been classified. Of these, three are wholly marine (Carmarthen Bay SPA, Liverpool Bay SPA, and the Outer Thames SPA). Of the 97 SPAs established for breeding seabird colonies, 31 have been extended into the marine environment by up to 4 km. Under the 2010 Habitats Regulations, any plans or projects that are likely to have a significant effect upon one or more of these SPAs are subject to appropriate assessment by competent authorities, including where those activities occur outside the SPA.
	SPAs, together with Special Areas of Conservation (designated under the Habitats Directive) and Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), will be the main elements of our contribution to the ecologically coherent network. Marine Special Area of Conservation designation should be completed by the end of 2012, and we are aiming to complete further work on the identification of additional seabird colony extensions and other seabird SPAs by the end of 2015. In January 2012 recommendations for MCZs, formal advice from the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies and the associated impact assessments will be sent to Ministers. We will give this careful consideration, before making a decision on sites to take forward to public consultation in early summer 2012, and designation by end 2012.

Dairy Farming

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of dairy farms in each of the last 10 years.

James Paice: The number of dairy farms in England from 2000 to 2010 is shown in the following table. The source of cattle population data changed in 2006 from the June Survey to the administrative Cattle Tracing System (CTS) data so the 2006 data are shown on both bases for comparison.
	Also shown is UK milk production and milk yields to put the figures into context. The long term trends in dairy production is towards fewer, larger and more productive herds. So while the number of dairy farms has decreased significantly over the past decade, the level of (UK) milk production has fallen only by 4%.
	
		
			 Number of dairy farms 
			  Number (1) Number (2) UK milk production (million litres) (3) Average UK milk yield (litres per cow per year) 
			 2000 — 15,219 14,071 5,979 
			 2001 — 14,293 14,284 6,346 
			 2002 — 14,537 14,440 6,493 
			 2003 — 13,770 14,576 6,621 
			 2004 — 13,264 14,127 6,763 
			 2005 — 12,918 14,052 6,986 
			 2006 11,522 11,079 13,902 6,977 
			 2007 10,907 — 13,619 6,913 
			 2008 10,331 — 13,319 6,943 
			 2009 9,805 — 13,197 7,068 
			 2010 9,461 — 13,533 7,301 
			 (1) Sourced from Cattle Tracing System. Defined as the number of holdings with more than 10 dairy cows over two years old in the milking herd (i.e. with offspring). (2) Sourced from June Survey. Defined as the number of holdings with dairy as the predominant farming activity. (3) Source DEFRA and RPA statistics.

Dairy Products

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of consumption of (a) milk and (b) other dairy products in each of the last 10 years.

James Paice: The volume of drinking milk, cheese and butter produced in the UK and the volume of milk available for consumption is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 UK production and availability of liquid milk and dairy products 
			  Liquid milk (million litres) Butter (thousand tonnes) Cheese (thousand tonnes) 
			  Production Available for consumption Production Available for consumption Production Available for consumption 
			 2001 6,748 6,775 126 200 395 601 
			 2002 6,825 6,806 136 209 371 574 
		
	
	
		
			 2003 6,753 6,597 131 207 351 577 
			 2004 6,693 6,497 122 208 359 600 
			 2005 6,652 6,214 130 219 391 648 
			 2006 6,734 6,307 117 226 400 673 
			 2007 6,724 6,388 120 195 378 684 
			 2008 6,678 6,355 111 169 387 720 
			 2009 6,626 6,255 118 183 359 673 
			 2010(1) 6,835 6,484 119 199 374 697 
			 (1) Provisional Source: DEFRA, HMRC Note: The 2010 data are provisional and will be updated at 9:30am on 30 September 2011. Data for 2011 will be published at 9.30am on 23 March 2012. http://www.defra.gov.uk/statistics/files/defra-stats-foodfarm-food-milk-milkutil-milksupplies-110624.xls 
		
	
	The UK is a net exporter of liquid milk, hence more milk is produced than is available for consumption. For milk products this is reversed with the UK being a net importer of, for example, speciality cheese imports, butter from Eire/Denmark/New Zealand.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has a policy on requirements for the provision of (a) apprenticeships and (b) other training by (i) his Department's prime contractors and (ii) suppliers in the supply chain of such contractors.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) implemented a change to its Invitation to Tender processes in 2009 in response to the Office of Government Commerce publication of guidance on promoting skills through public procurement.
	Our standard Invitation to Tender document encourages suppliers to provide training and apprenticeship opportunities in their workforce for DFID contracts where it is appropriate to do so, and that they should encourage their sub-contractors to offer such opportunities as appropriate.

Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with his Department in each of the last three years.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) encourages all of its prime contractors to provide training and apprenticeship opportunities in delivering their workforce for DFID contracts where it is appropriate to do so, and that they should encourage their sub-contractors to offer such opportunities as appropriate.
	DFID does not currently hold management information from suppliers on this matter, and to engage with all prime contractors to gather the information would require a manual exercise and incur disproportionate costs.

Departmental Procurement

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the annual value is of his Department's current contracts in each sector in which contracts are held.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not hold live contract information in a way which allows us to split this information into sectors and down to individual annual payment values.
	To carry out this request manually from multiple data sources would incur disproportionate costs.

Third Sector

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the name is of each charity and voluntary organisation Ministers in his Department have visited since 12 May 2010.

Alan Duncan: DFID publishes information on ministerial meetings with external organisations and overseas visits on our website at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Our-organisation1/Ministers/#travel
	Information for the first quarter of 2011 will be added shortly. Further information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

WALES

Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  whether her Department has a policy on requirements for the provision of (a) apprenticeships and (b) other training by (i) her Department’s prime contractors and (ii) suppliers in the supply chain of such contractors;
	(2)  how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with her Department in each of the last three years.

David Jones: The Wales Office makes use of centralised contracts supplied to the Ministry of Justice and staff are subject to Ministry of Justice policies. A post within the Department has been ear-marked for the creation of an apprenticeship this year.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  how many meetings she has had with hon. Members of each political party since May 2010;
	(2)  if she will consider keeping data on the number of times (a) she and (b) officials of her Department have declined a request for a meeting from an hon. Member of each political party.

David Jones: The information requested is not readily available and to collate it would incur disproportionate cost.
	We have no intention of recording the data as suggested by the hon. Member.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Official Hospitality

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on hospitality for staff since May 2010.

Hugo Swire: The Northern Ireland Office has not spent any money on hospitality for staff since May 2010.

Departmental Photographs

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on ministerial photo shoots and videos since May 2010.

Hugo Swire: A total of £239 including VAT was spent on official ministerial photographs following their appointment. No videos have been commissioned.

Departmental Procurement

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the annual value is of his Department's current contracts in each sector in which contracts are held.

Owen Paterson: The value of contracts held by my Department, based on spend in 2010-11, is as follows:
	
		
			  Value of contract (£) 
			 ICT/Telecoms 427,427 
			 Professional Services 96,000 
			 Travel & Supplies Services 479,262 
			 Facilities 290,000 
			 Building Works (in respect of NIO's Home Protection Scheme) 928,314

Departmental Redundancy

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on redundancy costs since May 2010.

Hugo Swire: The Northern Ireland Office has not had any redundancy costs since May 2010.

Departmental Training

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on training for Ministers since May 2010; and what training was provided.

Hugo Swire: The Northern Ireland Office has spent £260 on ministerial training since May 2010. This was for a Cabinet Office-led action learning set.

Third Sector

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the name is of each charity and voluntary organisation Ministers in his Department have visited since 12 May 2010.

Hugo Swire: Since 12 May 2010, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), has visited The Prince’s Trust; the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace; Mediation Northern Ireland; Right Here Fermanagh Project and the Arc Healthy Living Centre.
	During the same period, I have visited Action Cancer; Saver/Naver; Wave Trauma Centre; RNLI; Soldiers Charity and Army Benevolent Fund; Bryson Charitable Group and re:store Premises.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he plans any further consultation on bids for the allocation of future funding for Broadband UK after the initial announcement on the allocation.

Edward Vaizey: The Government have announced four pilot areas, Highlands and Islands, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, and three further projects in Norfolk, Devon and Somerset and Wiltshire. Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) is now working with county councils and local enterprise partnerships to help them prepare their local broadband plans and the Government will be announcing all allocations in the near future.

Broadband

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when his Department plans to make further announcements on the allocation of funding for Broadband UK.

Edward Vaizey: The Government will be announcing all allocations in the near future. The breakdown of funding was published in the press notice accompanying the publication of Britain's Superfast Broadband Future on 6 December. It can be found on the Department's website using the link:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/media_releases/7619.aspx

Broadband

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport with reference to his Department's announcement of 6 December 2010 on funding for a strategy for the UK broadband network and to his letter to hon. Members of 14 July 2011 on funding for the rollout of high speed broadband; for what reason the sum of £830 million was announced in December 2010 and the sum of £530 million was announced in June 2011.

Edward Vaizey: The Government announced in the 2010 spending review that they would be investing £530 million over the spending review period, including £300 million from the TV licence fee, to improve the UK's broadband network. In addition there is the potential for a further £150 million per year from the TV licence fee settlement for the years 2015-16 and 2016-17.

Sport: European Parliament

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of European Parliament proposals for a European identity through sport.

Hugh Robertson: There is no provision in the new treaty on the functioning of the European Union for the EU to compel member states to take specific action in relation to sport. The flags which are flown at grounds and the symbols which are displayed on shirts are entirely a matter for national governing bodies, competition organisers and clubs themselves.

Television: Females

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what discussions his Department has had with broadcasters on the representation of women in children’s television programmes;
	(2)  what representations his Department has received from members of the public on the depiction of female characters in children’s television programmes;
	(3)  what consideration he has given to measures to improve the representation of women in children’s television programmes.

Edward Vaizey: Under current broadcasting arrangements, responsibility for what is broadcast on television and radio rests with the broadcasters and the organisations that regulate broadcasting—the Office of Communications (Ofcom), the BBC Trust and the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority (S4C)—within the overall framework set by the Communications Act 2003 and the BBC Charter and Agreement.
	It is a long-standing principle that the Government do not interfere in programme matters, either on arrangements for scheduling or on content. It is important to maintain the principle of freedom of expression which political interference could undermine.
	Ofcom, the BBC Trust and S4C are independent of the Government and responsible for safeguarding the public interest in broadcasting. They set out the rules and guidance with which broadcasters must comply. Within this framework, it is the broadcasters’ job to make judgments about what individual programmes should contain and the time at which they are broadcast.
	The Department has not received any representations from members of the public on this matter.

Third Sector

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the name is of each charity and voluntary organisation Ministers in his Department have visited since 12 May 2010.

Jeremy Hunt: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Video Games

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when his Department plans to respond to the Livingstone-Hope Skills Review of Video Games and Visual Effects; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Government committed in The Plan for Growth to respond to the Livingstone-Hope review in the summer of 2011.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities on how many occasions a request for a meeting by an hon. Member of each political party was refused by (a) a Minister in the Government Equalities Office directly and (b) the Government Equalities Office on behalf of a Minister in November 2010.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office does not keep records of meeting requests that have been declined by either a Minister directly or by the Department on their behalf.

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2011, Official Report, column 3W on Equality and Human Rights Commission, whether an obligation to ensure political balance in the composition of the board of commissioners of the Equality and Human Rights Commission will form part of the Government's proposals arising from the consultation on the future of the Commission; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 18 July 2011
	The consultation on the future of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) closed on 15 June 2011. The consultation did not include proposals regarding the political balance of the EHRC Board of Commissioners and there are no current plans to cover this in the Government's response when it is published later this year.

TREASURY

Bank Levy

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  by how much the rate of the bank levy is expected to change in each year of the Comprehensive Spending Review period;
	(2)  how much revenue he estimates will accrue to the Exchequer from the bank payroll tax in 2011-12.

Mark Hoban: The bank payroll tax, introduced during the previous Parliament, was a one-off tax which applied from 9 December 2009 to 5 April 2010. In line with guidance from the Office for National Statistics, the yield from the bank payroll tax was allocated to the 2010-11 tax year, as this is the point at which the tax was passed into legislation. No further revenues from this tax will be collected in 2011-12.
	Information on the expected yield from the Bank Levy was published as part of the March Budget, in the relevant Tax Information and Impact Note.
	A link to the document is given here:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2011/tiin6123.pdf

Bombardier

Chris Williamson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the potential effects on tax revenue to the Exchequer of the proposed redundancies of employees of Bombardier.

Justine Greening: Neither HM Treasury nor HM Revenue and Customs hold the detailed commercial information required to provide a reliable estimate of the effect of the proposed redundancies on all tax revenues.

Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether his Departments have a policy on requirements for the provision of (a) apprenticeships and (b) other training by (i) his Department's prime contractors and (ii) suppliers in the supply chain of such contractors;
	(2)  how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with his Department in each of the last three years.

Justine Greening: HM Treasury does not hold information on the number of apprenticeships created directly over this period by contracts it has let.
	Where appropriate contract conditions and performance requirements are included in major Treasury contracts.

Departmental Correspondence

Michael Crockart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of written correspondence his Department answered within 28 days of receipt in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bob Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of letters to his Department from hon. Members were answered by his Department (a) within one week of, (b) within two weeks of, (c) within three weeks of, (d) within four weeks of, (e) within five weeks of and (f) at least six weeks after the date on which they were received in the period since May 2010.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave on 11 July 2011, Official Report, column 1W.

Departmental Manpower

Nick Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to publish monthly information on changes in the numbers of employees of his Department's agencies, categorised by (a) seniority, (b) voluntary redundancy, (c) natural wastage and (d) involuntary redundancy.

Justine Greening: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 27 June 2011, Official Report, column 627W.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Alison McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on hospitality for staff since May 2010.

Justine Greening: The provision of refreshments, including hospitality, at meetings or functions within HM Treasury for Treasury staff, other Whitehall civil servants and non-executive directors has been prohibited since 1 July 2010. Hospitality may be provided where external guests are present. The attendance of Treasury staff at such meetings is dependent on a necessary business need and their number should not exceed the number of external guests. Spending on such hospitality between May 2010 and 31 March 2011 was £15,000.

Departmental Photographs

Alison McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on ministerial photoshoots and videos since May 2010.

Justine Greening: The Department has not incurred any spending on photoshoots and videos since May 2010.

Departmental Procurement

John Denham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the annual value is of his Department's current contracts in each sector in which contracts are held.

Justine Greening: In May 2011 the Treasury refreshed its 2011-15 business plan; this can be viewed online:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/about_business_plan.htm
	Annex A (pages 6-7) to this plan provides data on HM Treasury spend by Public Sector Procurement Expenditure Survey (PSPES) master category for 2009-10.
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/hmt_business_plan_annexA.pdf

Departmental Redundancy

Alison McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on redundancy costs since May 2010.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my right hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham (Mr Redwood) on 14 July 2011, Official Report, column 480W.

Departmental Responsibilities

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the responsibilities were of each Minister in his Department between 8 May 2006 and 28 June 2007.

Justine Greening: Details of current and previous ministers' responsibilities are set out annually in the Treasury report and accounts, copies of which are in the Library and accessible via the Treasury website. In line with the practice followed by successive administrations, it would not be proper to comment on appointments made in the period covered by the hon. Member's question.

Departmental Training

Alison McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on training for Ministers since May 2010; and what training was provided.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire (Pete Wishart) on 20 October 2010, Official Report, column 808W.

Disadvantaged: Financial Services

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many people have visited the website of the Money Advice Service since its inception;
	(2)  how many people have contacted the National Financial Advice Service and received financial advice since its inception;
	(3)  how many people have completed the annual financial healthcheck to date.

Mark Hoban: The Money Advice Service launched on 4 April 2011. The service launched its online health check tool on 8 June 2011.
	Since April 201 land as of 12 July 2011 the Money Advice Service has received 1.25m web visits. In this period there were 12,400 face-to-face money advice sessions and 21,849 phone calls to the service's money advice line.
	Since the launch of the Money Advice Service online health check, it has received over 90,000 visits, with a 67% completion rate.

Excise Duties: Fuels

Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has assessed the potential cost pressures on the (a) public sector, (b) police and (c) armed forces of (i) trends in the cost of petrol and diesel and (ii) the planned increase in fuel duty in January 2012.

Justine Greening: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts. The OBR published a full analysis on the prospects for economic growth, employment and inflation in their forecast at Budget, which can be found online at:
	http://budgetresponsbility.independent.gov.uk

Government Departments: Internet

Julian Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the contract held by (a) Serco and (b) Sweet and Maxwell on the production of editorial material for Government websites.

David Gauke: This response refers to the contract between HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Serco for the provision of the www.businesslink.gov.uk (and related) websites.
	This contract is for a fully outsourced service.
	Sweet and Maxwell are subcontracted by Serco to supply content related services, including the production of editorial material.
	In 2010, HMRC arranged for the contract with Serco to be independently benchmarked. The benchmarking report concluded that the contract was generally good value for money. No specific recommendations were made about the production of editorial material.
	The www.businesslink.gov.uk site had nearly 20 million visitors last year and customer satisfaction remains at over 90%.

Regulation: Guidance

Julian Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what process his Department follows for the production of regulatory guidance; and how many officials of his Department were involved in the production of such guidance on the last date for which figures are available.

Justine Greening: HM Treasury guidance usually relates to non-regulatory issues such as Government accounting, finance guidance, or business case methodologies (including the Green Book). HM Treasury's policy is to comply with best practice on producing guidance, and applicable legal procedures. HM Treasury does not keep records of the numbers of officials engaged in issuing guidance.

Independent Public Service Pensions Commission

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the underlying data for chart 1.E of the final report of the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission.

Danny Alexander: The data underlying chart 1E of Lord Hutton's final report were published in tables 4.2 and 4.18 of Cm 7979: Office for Budget Responsibility, the Economic and Fiscal Outlook, 29 November 2010. This is available at:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/wordpress/docs/econ_fiscal_outlook_291110.pdf
	and the relevant data are reproduced as follows.
	
		
			 £ billion 
			 Economic and fiscal outlook November 2010 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 
			 Central Government unfunded public service pensions expenditure 25.7 27.1 28.8 30.1 31.6 33.2 
			 Nominal GDP 1,483 1,550 1,628 1,721 1,817 1,916 
		
	
	Following the publication of Lord Hutton’s final report on 10 March 2011, the OBR published an updated Economic and Fiscal Outlook on 23 March 2011: Cm 8036, available at
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/wordpress/docs/economic_and_fiscal_outlook_23032011.pdf
	Tables 4.3 and 4.20 are equivalent to 4.2 and 4.18 in the November Economic and Fiscal Outlook and the data from the March Outlook are reproduced as follows.
	
		
			 £ billion 
			 Economic and fiscal outlook March 2011 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 
			 Central Government unfunded public service pensions expenditure 26.1 27.4 29.2 30.6 32.2 33.7. 
			 Nominal GDP 1,473 1,544 1,625 1,717 1,814 1,915 
		
	
	Those particular tables do not include expenditure on unfunded pensions administered by local authorities, but these will be included in long-term projections of spending on unfunded public service pensions provided by the Office of Budget Responsibility.

Liverpool Cruise Terminal

John Denham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what meetings he has had with representatives of the Chinese Government at which the Liverpool cruise terminal was discussed; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether the presentation he made to the Chinese Vice-Premier in January 2011 referred to the Liverpool cruise terminal; and what assumptions were made concerning its future operational role and function.

Danny Alexander: I refer the right hon. Member to my answer given on 15 July 2011, Official Report, column 485W.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 2 June 2011 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs K Worthington.

Mark Hoban: On 7 June in response to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton's constituent's letter the Treasury reissued my March letter on the subject of Lloyds Action Now.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 12 May 2011 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Stephen Pennells.

Mark Hoban: On 13 June in response to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton's constituent's letter the Treasury reissued my December letter on the subject of agriculture derivatives markets and their effect on world food prices which addressed all the points raised.

National Insurance Contributions: New Businesses

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the total number of businesses that are eligible for the regional employer national insurance contributions holiday for new businesses;
	(2)  how many businesses in each qualifying region have (a) applied for and (b) participated in the employer national insurance contributions holiday for new businesses in each month since September 2010;
	(3)  what recent assessment he has made of the potential effects of the regional employer national insurance contributions holiday for new businesses on (a) the balance of regional economic growth, (b) the level of new start-ups and (c) growth in the private sector.

David Gauke: The information is as follows:
	(1) This information is available in the Budget 2010 policy costings note, page 21, at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_costings.pdf
	(2) Up to 8 July 2011, HMRC had received 5,137 successful and 163 unsuccessful applications for the NICs holiday from new businesses. Regional and monthly breakdown for successful applications can be found in table 1. Table 2 shows the regional breakdown for unsuccessful applications, but a monthly breakdown of these figures is not available.
	
		
			 Table 1: Regional and monthly breakdown of successful NICs holiday applications 
			  Northern Ireland Scotland Wales East Midlands North East North West South West West Midlands Yorks. and Humber Total 
			 2010           
			 September 7 20 11 26 18 50 53 31 40 256 
			 October 21 45 26 31 22 71 53 52 48 369 
			 November 20 60 37 52 28 94 76 54 72 493 
		
	
	
		
			 December 14 39 17 26 26 43 49 47 34 295 
			            
			 2011           
			 January 13 49 24 33 29 71 62 42 55 378 
			 February 19 75 26 61 36 95 78 61 67 518 
			 March 37 108 44 49 36 118 109 91 87 679 
			 April 25 82 30 58 27 96 109 66 59 552 
			 May 34 119 48 83 58 166 131 90 99 828 
			 June 21 99 30 56 39 92 90 62 62 551 
			 July 7 25 20 18 7 50 44 25 22 218 
			 Total 218 721 313 493 326 946 854 621 645 5,137 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Regional breakdown of unsuccessful NICs holiday applications 
			  Unsuccessful applications 
			 Northern Ireland 11 
			 Scotland 14 
			 Wales 12 
			 East Midlands 12 
			 North East 15 
			 North West 29 
			 South West 24 
			 West Midlands 27 
			 Yorks. And Humber 19 
		
	
	(3) No specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of the NICs holiday on (a) the balance of regional economic growth, (b) the level of new start-ups or (c) growth in the private sector.
	The policy is designed to support new businesses in their first year, reducing the cost of hiring staff and improve the likelihood of business survival in the potentially vulnerable early stages. The Budget costing did not account for any additional start-up activity or any wider macro-economic benefits from the policy.
	Earlier this year, HMRC commissioned some research into the initial operation of the scheme. This suggests that awareness among potentially eligible employers was lower than expected but the scheme has a positive influence on the prospects for taking on staff and the future growth of businesses for many of the businesses interviewed. Full results of the survey will be published shortly.

National Insurance Contributions: Sheffield

David Blunkett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough constituency have participated in the national insurance contribution holiday.

David Gauke: HMRC has received eight applications for the NICs Holiday from new businesses in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough since the introduction of the scheme.

Private Finance Initiative

Stella Creasy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the value of estimated tax receipts, calculated as required in the Green Book, for all public sector economic assessments of all private finance initiative projects in procurement as of March 2011.

Danny Alexander: Differences in tax receipts between PFI and conventionally funded projects are considered as part of HM Treasury’s Value for Money model which is run for each PFI project. The model is available, with guidance, at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ppp_vfm_index.htm
	The final project documentation, including information about tax expectations, is not held by Treasury and therefore cannot be provided.

Revenue and Customs: Manpower

David Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many officials of HM Revenue and Customs were assigned to duties involving the prevention of tax avoidance in each year since 2007;
	(2)  how many HM Revenue and Customs officials are assigned to duties involving prevention of avoidance of tax on foreign profits;
	(3)  how many HM Revenue and Customs tax experts have been working on tax avoidance and evasion by large businesses in each year since 2007.

David Gauke: HMRC undertakes a range of activities to address risk within and across business and individual customer groups under the three core elements of its anti-avoidance strategy: prevention, detection and counteraction.
	Although some officials have roles dedicated to addressing avoidance risk the majority of staffing for HMRC's compliance activity cannot be broken down in this way as activities—from policy making, through support and education, to audits and investigations—cover all aspects of compliance behaviour from error through to evasion as well as countering criminal attacks and avoidance.
	In 2009-10 HMRC deployed approximately 31,000 staff at all grades on a variety of compliance activities including risk assessment, addressing inaccurate returns and verifying repayment claims, debt collection and criminal investigations across all heads of duty. The equivalent figure for 2008-09 was some 32,000 staff.

Revenue and Customs: Manpower

David Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Revenue and Customs officials have been dealing with tax credit queries from the public since January 2010; and what the cost of such officials has been in each month since January 2010.

David Gauke: Information is not available in the format requested. Although the majority of customer queries are handled by helpline adviser in HM Revenue and Customs' Contact Centres, these advisers are used flexibly across different lines of business to provide the best possible service to customers and are unable to be disaggregated. It is also not possible to supply details of all staff that might have dealt with tax credits queries from the public within “back offices” or inquiry centres.

Revenue and Customs: Trade Unions

Dominic Raab: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff at HM Revenue and Customs are entitled to work (a) full-time as trade union representatives and (b) part-time on trade union activities; how many such staff are paid more than £25,900 annually; and what the cost to the public purse of employing such staff on such duties was in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs does not permit any of its staff to act as full-time trade union representatives. However individuals are entitled to spend a maximum amount of 200 days on union duties in any year. In 2010-11 10 union representatives each used 200 days. HMRC currently has 2,044 staff engaged part-time on union duties; of these 592 have an annual salary of more than £25,900. The estimated salary cost of union facility time for 2010-11 was £5.5 million. This equates to 0.24% of the total HMRC pay bill.

Tax Avoidance

David Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the revenue forgone by the Exchequer in tax (a) evasion and (b) avoidance.

David Gauke: The latest tax gap estimates were published in September 2010 in ‘Measuring Tax Gaps 2010’ on HMRC's website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/measuring-tax-gaps-2010.htm.pdf
	This publication also contained an illustrative breakdown of the tax gap by behaviour for 2007-08. This estimated that evasion and avoidance each accounted for around 17.5% of the total tax gap.
	HMRC will be publishing “Measuring Tax Gaps 2011” on 21 September 2011.

Taxation: Multinational Companies

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has made to the Governments of (a) Colombia and (b) South Africa on adoption of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

Edward Davey: I have been asked to reply.
	Business Department—BIS—officials have been liaising with Colombian officials, sharing best practice, to support Colombia's effective implementation of the OECD Guidelines, once Colombia's application process to adhere to the OECD Guidelines has formally concluded. BIS officials have discussed South Africa's adherence to the OECD Guidelines with a visiting MP from South Africa.

Taxation: Sports

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any plans to alter the terms of the Community Amateur Sports Club scheme.

Justine Greening: As with all tax policy, Government keep the reliefs and exemptions for Community Amateur Sports Clubs under review. Changes to tax policy are announced at the Budget.

Third Sector

Alison McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the name is of each charity and voluntary organisation Ministers in his Department have visited since 12 May 2010.

Justine Greening: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public, private and third sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings. However, a list of meetings with external organisations is provided quarterly on the Treasury website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

Valuation Office Agency: Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the decision to remove pay intentions from HM Revenue and Customs staff working in the Valuation Office Agency in the 2010 pay award has been subject to an equality impact assessment; and if he will place a copy of any such assessment in the Library.

David Gauke: In implementing the public sector pay freeze the Valuation Office Agency was unable to make consolidated pay awards in 2010 unless they were contractual or were for staff earning less than £21,000 (full-time equivalent). After taking extensive advice, the agency concluded that the ‘intentions to maximum' policy was not a contractual obligation and therefore pay increases relating to this policy could not be paid during the pay freeze. No equality impact assessment was carried out as it could have no impact on the implementation of the pay freeze, which is mandatory and affects all staff in the agency. A full equal pay review was undertaken by the agency, in consultation with the trade union side, after the board's conclusion on the compatibility of the intentions to maximum policy with the terms of the public sector pay freeze.

Valuation Office Agency: Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps HM Revenue and Customs Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has taken to ensure that removing pay intentions for staff is not discriminatory on grounds of age; and if he will ensure that the pay offer made to VOA staff on 3 February 2011 is subject to an equality impact assessment.

David Gauke: The Valuation Office Agency's 'intention to maximum policy' could not be implemented within the terms of the public sector pay freeze as it applied to the civil service. The terms of the pay freeze mean that consolidated pay increases can only be made if they are contractual or are for staff earning less than £21,000 (full-time equivalent). The VOA is reviewing its pay system during the period of the pay freeze and will take account of the impacts of any proposed new system on protected groups as part of that work.
	The VOA also conducts equal pay reviews every three years, in line with Cabinet Office guidelines, and intends to undertake a further equal pay review once any revised pay system has been established. A full equal pay review was undertaken by the agency, in consultation with the trade union side after the board's conclusion on the compatibility of the intentions to maximum policy with the terms of the public sector pay freeze, and this included an assessment of the agency's pay system in relation to age.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Budgets

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress he has made in the roll-out of community budgets for families with multiple problems.

Greg Clark: Community budgets for families with multiple problems have been established in 16 areas covering 28 authorities. My colleagues, the Noble Baroness Hanham and the Under-Secretary of State for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton), wrote to all local authority Leaders on 7 July setting out our intention to roll out Community budgets for families with multiple problems across England and inviting Leaders to express an interest in establishing a Community Budget for families with multiple problems in their area. A copy of this letter is available in the Library of the House.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many meetings he has had with hon. Members of each political party since May 2010;
	(2)  if he will consider keeping data on the number of times (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have declined a request for a meeting from an hon. Member of each political party;
	(3)  on how many occasions a request for a meeting by an hon. Member of each political party was refused by (a) a Minister in his Department directly and (b) his Department on behalf of a Minister in November 2010.

Andrew Stunell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 July 2011, Official Report, column 211-12W. DCLG Ministers meet regularly hon. Members of all parties. It would not be a good use of resources to collect data on the lines the hon. Member suggests.

Departmental Training

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on training for Ministers since May 2010; and what training was provided.

Andrew Stunell: No training for Ministers has been funded by the Department in the time period specified.

Family Migration

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2011, Official Report, column 390W, and the written ministerial statement by the Minister for Immigration of 13 July 2011, Official Report, columns 28-30WS, on family migration, how his Department plans to integrate its policy on social housing with the policy of the Home Department on family migration.

Grant Shapps: Third country nationals, including family migrants, who have been granted settlement must also be habitually resident in order to be eligible for social housing. The habitual residence test is not affected by the proposed changes to the settlement requirements set out in the Home Office's consultation on family migration.

Human Trafficking

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what responsibility he has for contributing to Government action against human trafficking; and what recent action he has taken in this regard.

Andrew Stunell: holding answer 13 July 2011
	The Noble Baroness Hanham represents the Department for Communities and Local Government on the inter-departmental ministerial group on human trafficking.
	The inter-departmental ministerial group on human trafficking co-ordinates work on trafficking across Government. The group brings together Ministers from key Departments to provide oversight and to strengthen our efforts to tackle human trafficking by ensuring that input and expertise from all Departments is shared.
	The Government will shortly be publishing its strategy on human trafficking.
	The strategy will reiterate the UK's intention to take a comprehensive approach to combating trafficking—both by focusing on tackling traffickers and maintaining effective care for victims. It will also mark a greater focus on combating the organised crime groups behind this crime.
	The Government's approach will be based on four key principles:
	improved victim care arrangements;
	enhancing our ability to act early, before the harm has reached the UK;
	smarter, multi-agency action at the border; and
	a more co-ordinated policing effort at home.

Local Government: Accountability

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what plans he has to ensure equality in engagement in local decision-making following the repeal of the duty to involve;
	(2)  whether he plans to conduct an equality impact assessment in respect of the repeal of the duty to involve;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the potential effects of repealing the duty to involve on his proposals to increase community empowerment under the provisions of the Localism Bill.

Bob Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 12 July 2011, Official Report, column 216W.

Local Government: Accountability

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had on the effects of repealing the duty to involve on the provision of services.

Bob Neill: The consultation on draft Best Value guidance generated discussion on the repeal of the duty to involve. Officials have also had discussions on the repeal with the Voluntary and Community Sector Partnership Board—co-chaired by the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Andrew Stunell)—constituting a number of voluntary and community sector representative organisations.

Local Government: Accountability

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will ensure that local authorities remain responsible for securing the benefit of involvement.

Bob Neill: We are encouraging local authorities and civil society to collaborate more, including greater involvement for voluntary groups in the design and running of public services. In this context, we recently consulted on light touch statutory guidance on the best value duty setting out some reasonable expectations of the way authorities should work with voluntary and community groups and small businesses when facing difficult funding decisions. The consultation closed on 14 June and we expect to provide a government response and publish final guidance this summer.
	Under the Local Government Act 1999, there is a duty to consult local representatives which supports the duty of best value. This will be backed up by the additional support for voluntary and community groups in the Best Value guidance. In addition, the new duties contained in the Localism Bill (i.e. the community rights to challenge and buy) aim to have a greater impact on links between councils and communities.

Local Government: Freedom of Information

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what remedies are provided under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in respect of local authorities that fail to make a full disclosure to a request made under the Act.

Andrew Stunell: The Freedom of Information Act applies to a wide range of public authorities; its provisions are not specific to local authorities. The Act provides for exemptions from the duty to provide information, in specific circumstances, so full disclosure may not be required.
	If a local authority, or any other public authority, fails to comply with the Act, enforcement falls upon the Information commissioner, who may:
	investigate complaints and issue formal decision notices;
	serve an information notice requiring organisations to provide specified information within a certain time period;
	issue an undertaking committing an authority to a particular course of action to improve its compliance;
	serve an enforcement notice where there has been a breach of the Act, requiring organisations to take (or refrain from taking) specified steps in order to ensure they comply with the law;
	publicly highlight particular issues with an authority's handling of a specific request.
	A local authority is, in common with all authorities subject to the Act, required in most cases to confirm whether information requested is held and, if that is the case, provide that information unless it is determined to be exempt.

Tenancy Deposit Schemes

Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Selby and Ainsty of 5 April 2011, Official Report, column 855W, on tenancy deposit schemes, what financial payments were made or underwritten by his Department as part of the revised agreement negotiated in August 2010;
	(2)  what the estimated shortfall arising from low interest rates was that resulted in the revised agreement negotiated in August 2010;
	(3)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the revised agreement of August 2010, redacting any commercially confidential elements to facilitate disclosure.

Grant Shapps: A service concession agreement that was originally agreed by the previous Administration with the custodial tenancy deposit protection scheme contained a guarantee that the Government would meet any shortfall arising if approved fees were not covered by the interest on deposits held.
	As a result of the low interest rates that emerged due to the financial turmoil in 2008 and 2009, this agreement left the Government—i.e. taxpayers—liable for a shortfall under that guarantee which was estimated to reach over £30 million by the end of the contract in 2012.
	In May 2010, the coalition Government inherited this unacceptable situation and looming liabilities. Following extensive negotiations in summer 2010, the guarantee and all associated liabilities were removed as part of a revised agreement which also incorporated a payment of £12.7 million and a four-year extension of the original agreement.
	The new agreement has been designed not only to remove future and current liabilities for Government and secure the best deal for taxpayers, but to safeguard the ongoing viability of the custodial model of tenancy deposit protection and safeguard the interests of tenants.
	Hon. Members and the broader public will rightly wish to scrutinise the poor decisions of the last Administration. The new agreement was made in the form of a letter amending the original, flawed agreement. Redacted copies of both documents will be deposited in the Library of the House in due course.

PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Meetings

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Prime Minister what protocols apply to members of the Government who attend meetings with foreign Heads of State and Government in a private capacity.

William Hague: I have been asked to reply.
	It is the convention that Ministers and members of the Government inform the Foreign and Commonwealth Office when they are attending meetings with foreign Heads of State.
	Ministers are required to conduct themselves in accordance with the Ministerial Code when carrying out their official duties.

SCOTLAND

Sky TV

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent on subscriptions to Sky TV since May 2010.

Michael Moore: The Scotland Office has no subscription to Sky TV, therefore no expenditure has been incurred since May 2010.

Corporation Tax

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions officials in his Department had with officials of HM Revenue and Customs on the cost of varying the rate of corporation tax in Scotland in advance of his speech to Scottish Financial Enterprise on 23 June 2011.

Michael Moore: My officials have regular discussions with officials of HM Revenue and Customs on a wide range of issues, including the cost of varying the rate of corporation tax in Scotland. Since then, the methodology of the calculations were published by HMRC in their note, ‘Explanatory Note on estimating the cost of a reduction in the Corporation Tax rate in Scotland', on 13 July 2011.

Corporation Tax

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland with reference to his Department's press release of 23 June 2011, what the evidential basis was for the figure of £2.6 billion cited as the cost of reducing the rate of corporation tax in Scotland.

Michael Moore: As the press release outlined, HMRC had drafted provisional figures showing that
	“if the Scottish Government were to cut Corporation Tax to the same level as Ireland there could be a gap of more than £2.6 billion in the Scottish Budget.”
	The methodology of the calculations were published by HMRC in their note, ‘Explanatory Note on estimating the cost of a reduction in the Corporation Tax rate in Scotland', on 13 July 2011.

Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his Department has a policy on requirements for the provision of (a) apprenticeships and (b) other training by (i) his Department's prime contractors and (ii) suppliers in the supply chain of such contractors.

Michael Moore: The Scotland Office does not generally undertake direct procurement or tendering projects. It utilises framework contracts between suppliers and other Government bodies. Therefore, a policy to include a requirement for the provision of apprenticeships or other training by contractors and/or subcontractors would be an issue for those bodies letting the contracts.

Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with his Department in each of the last three years.

Michael Moore: The Scotland Office does not generally undertake direct procurement or tendering projects. It utilises framework contracts between suppliers and other Government bodies. Therefore, if available, the number of apprenticeships created by these contracts would generally be held by those bodies letting the contracts.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the carbon dioxide emissions from his Department in (a) June 2010 and (b) June 2011.

Michael Moore: The Scotland Office’s estimate of the carbon dioxide emissions from energy used on its estate during June 2010 was 13.5 tonnes and for non-car travel was 16.6 tonnes. No record of car mileage was kept. The estimates for June 2011 are not yet available.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent on hospitality for staff since May 2010.

Michael Moore: The Scotland Office has incurred no expenditure on hospitality for staff since May 2010.

Departmental Photographs

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent on photoshoots and videos involving Ministers since May 2010.

Michael Moore: The Scotland Office has not incurred any expenditure on photoshoots or videos involving Ministers since May 2010.

Departmental Procurement

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the annual value is of his Department's current contracts in each sector in which contracts are held.

Michael Moore: The Scotland Office does not generally undertake direct procurement or tendering projects. It utilises framework contracts between suppliers and other Government bodies. However, the Office does hold some small and historic contracts within the private sector which total an annual value of approximately £112,000.

Departmental Redundancy

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent on redundancy costs since May 2010.

Michael Moore: The Scotland Office has not incurred any redundancy costs since May 2010. The Office does not employ staff directly. All of its staff are on secondment from other public bodies, mainly the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government. As such, redundancy issues, and any subsequent costs, are a matter for these bodies.

Departmental Training

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent on training for Ministers since May 2010; and what the purpose of the training was in each case.

Michael Moore: Since May 2010, the Scotland Office has not incurred any expenditure on training for Ministers.

Non-domestic Rates

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on proposals to allow local authorities in England to amend business rates.

Michael Moore: I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues, including the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the right hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), on a wide range of issues.

Scottish Financial Enterprise

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library a copy of the speech or speaking note for his engagement at Scottish Financial Enterprise on 23 June 2011.

Michael Moore: A copy of my speaking note for this engagement has now been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Third Sector

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what charities and voluntary organisations Ministers in his Department have visited since 12 May 2010.

Michael Moore: Scotland Office Ministers have visited a range of charities and voluntary organisations since 12 May 2010. Details of meetings with external organisations are published on the Government’s Transparency website at:
	http://data.gov.uk

Trade Groups

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what mechanisms he plans to establish for his proposed Scottish trade group to interact with (a) UK Trade and Investment, (b) Scottish Development International and (c) the Scottish Council for Development and Industry.

Michael Moore: On 8 July 2011, I established the Scottish Trade Group to examine ways in which the UK Government can do more to help Scottish companies do business overseas. Its purpose is to serve as a direct channel for companies and others in Scotland to share views with the UK Government on their trade and investment priorities.
	We are working in partnership with the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI), who will provide secretariat support and hosting facilities. The group will include representatives from UK Trade and Investment, Scottish Development International and SCDI, as well as representatives from a range of industry sectors from across Scotland.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Ministerial Meetings

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Attorney-General when he last met (a) James Murdoch, (b) Rebekah Brooks and (c) Andy Coulson.

Edward Garnier: The Attorney-General has not met James Murdoch, Rebekah Brooks, or Andy Coulson since his appointment in May 2010.

Departmental Air Travel

John Mann: To ask the Attorney-General on what occasions he has flown on official business (a) by budget airline and (b) in economy class in the last 12 months.

Edward Garnier: The Attorney-General has made seven economy class flights while on official business during the last 12 months, including one on a budget airline. The five trips from the UK were return flights. The details are contained in the following table.
	
		
			 Date From Destination Airline 
			 6 September 2010 UK Belfast BMI 
			 21 November 2010 UK Munich British Airways 
			 5 May 2011 UK Luxembourg Air France 
			 13 June 2011 UK Dublin Aer Lingus 
			 22 June 2011 UK Strasbourg Air France/ Brussels Airlines 
			 17 July 2011 Sydney Auckland Air New Zealand 
			 18 July 2011 Auckland Wellington Air New Zealand

Departmental Official Hospitality

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Attorney-General how much the Law Officers' Departments have spent on hospitality for staff since May 2010.

Edward Garnier: The total expenditure by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on hospitality in the financial year 2010-11 was £9,957; this figure includes the provision of water, soft drinks and sandwiches for official meetings. The CPS does not routinely fund hospitality for staff, although occasionally a small official event may be held and will be attended by both CPS staff and key stakeholders from other Criminal Justice System agencies. The CPS does not hold central records of the expenditure on such events attended by staff and the information sought could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The remaining Law Officers' Departments have no record of any expenditure on staff hospitality.

Departmental Photographs

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Attorney-General how much the Law Officers Departments have spent on photoshoots and videos involving Ministers since May 2010.

Dominic Grieve: The Attorney-General’s Office has spent £385 on a photo shoot since May 2010. There has not been any expenditure on videos involving Ministers.
	The other Law Officer's Departments have not spent any funds on photo shoots or videos involving Ministers.

Departmental Redundancy

Kate Green: To ask the Attorney-General how much his Department has spent on redundancy costs since May 2010.

Edward Garnier: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Attorney-General to the questions on departmental redundancy tabled by the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne North (Catherine McKinnell) on 14 March 2011, Official Report, column 120W.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Attorney-General how many meetings he has had with hon. Members of each political party since May 2010.

Edward Garnier: Where appropriate, the Law Officers make every effort to facilitate requests for meetings with hon. Members. The following table details the numbers of meetings the Attorney-General has had with hon. Members from all political parties (excluding Government Ministers), and includes meetings with the Shadow Solicitor-General. The data are drawn from the available departmental records and thus may not capture all such meetings which might have taken place since May 2010.
	
		
			 Political Party Number of meetings 
			 Labour 6 
			 Conservative 2

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions a request for a meeting by an hon. Member of each political party was refused by (a) a Minister in the Law Officers' Departments directly and (b) the Law Officers' Departments on behalf of a Minister in November 2010.

Edward Garnier: Records of such requests are not maintained by the Law Officers’ Departments and the information requested could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Training

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Attorney-General how much his Departments have spent on training for Ministers since May 2010; and what the purpose of the training was.

Edward Garnier: There has been no expenditure on Ministers training since May 2010.

Law Officers' Department

John Denham: To ask the Attorney-General whether the Law Officers' Departments have a policy on requirements for the provision of (a) apprenticeships and (b) other training by (i) the Departments' prime contractors and (ii) suppliers in the supply chain of such contractors.

Edward Garnier: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) encourages the creation of apprenticeships and a skilled work force. The Department issues standard contracts for the procurement of most goods and services. These contracts are based on the Office of Government Commerce's standard terms and conditions and where applicable, require the contractor to have: training plans; a specified proportion of the workforce as trainees, apprentices or long-term unemployed; and a specified proportion of the hours worked in delivering the contract undertaken by trainees, apprentices or long-term unemployed.
	These terms and conditions apply to the prime contractor only and are not applicable to sub-contractors.
	The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) encourages the creation of apprenticeships and a skilled work force. Wherever possible the SFO utilise Office of Government Commerce framework and their standard terms and conditions (where applicable) require contractors to have apprenticeship schemes or training opportunities in place.
	The Treasury Solicitors Department does not have a policy to require the provision of apprenticeships or other training by prime contractors, or suppliers in the supply chain of such contractors: if the use of apprentice labour is relevant to the provision of a particular service, and is likely to lead to improved value for money, it is included in the tender requirements and evaluation process.
	The Attorney-General's Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate are covered by TSol arrangements.

Law Officers' Department

John Denham: To ask the Attorney-General how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with the Law Officers' Departments in each of the last three years.

Edward Garnier: The Law Officers' Departments are unable to determine from centrally held records if any apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts held with them in each of the last three years. To provide this information would involve requesting information from all suppliers and this would incur a disproportionate costs.

Law Officers' Department

Chris Ruane: To ask the Attorney-General if he will consider keeping data on the number of times (a) he and (b) officials of the Law Officers' Departments have declined a request for a meeting from an hon. Member of each political party.

Edward Garnier: No. There is no clear operational or administrative need to keep records of each and every request made for a meeting with the Law Officers or departmental officials and to do so would cause disproportionate expense.

Third Sector

Kate Green: To ask the Attorney-General which charities and voluntary organisations (a) he and (b) the Solicitor-General has visited since 12 May 2010.

Edward Garnier: I visited the Mediation and Pro Bono Clinic at Elizabeth House Surgery in Warlingham, Surrey on 31 January 2011. The Attorney-General has not visited any charities or voluntary organisations since May 2010.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has a policy on requirements for the provision of (a) apprenticeships and (b) other training by (i) his Department's prime contractors and (ii) suppliers in the supply chain of such contractors.

Chris Grayling: All new DWP contracts include an Apprenticeship and Skills Requirements contract schedule. This schedule requires suppliers to provide an initial written report (six months after contract start date) and then annually thereafter. The report must reflect all sub-contractors involved in delivery of the contract and provide details on:
	the number of existing apprenticeships involved in delivery of the contract;
	the number of new starts on apprenticeships initiated as a result of delivery of the contract;
	action being taken to improve the take up of apprenticeships;
	other training/development being undertaken by staff involved in delivery of the contract.
	DWP also have a Supplier Charter which details some of the key targets, policies and principles that DWP expect their suppliers to contribute towards. One of these principles is apprenticeships and skills development. All 45 of DWP's critical suppliers have signed, and committed to, the Supplier Charter.

Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with his Department in each of the last three years.

Chris Grayling: For the last two years apprenticeships have been funded through the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the Department for Education. The National Apprenticeship Service was set up two years ago has since then been delivering apprenticeships in England.

Asbestos: EU Law

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2011, Official Report, column 817W, on asbestos: EU laws, what representations he received on protection of workers from risks related to exposure to asbestos at work.

Chris Grayling: To date I have received no representations about the transposition of Article 3(3)(a) of EU Directive 2009/148/EC into domestic law. A public consultation on the proposed legislative changes will be held shortly. This will provide an opportunity for interested parties to make representations about the changes.

Asbestos: EU Law

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2011, Official Report, column 817W, on asbestos: EU law, on what basis he considers that further public consideration is required in response to the UK having been found not to have fully implemented Article 3(3)(a) of EU Directive 2009/148/EC on the protection of workers from risks related to the exposure to asbestos at work.

Chris Grayling: In compliance with its statutory duty under Section 50(3) of the Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974, HSE will be undertaking a public consultation on its proposals to implement Article 3(3)(a) of EU Directive 2009/148/EC.

Asbestos: EU Law

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects the UK to fully implement article 3 of EU directive 2003/18/EG.

Chris Grayling: It is planned that the UK will fully implement article 3 of EU directive 2003/18/EG into domestic legislation in April 2012.

Sky TV

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on subscriptions to Sky TV since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: DWP has had no expenditure on TV subscriptions for Sky TV for the period from 1 May 2010 to 30 June 2011.

Child Support Agency: ICT

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the original estimate, at current prices, was of the cost to the public purse of the computer system supplied by EDS Systems for the Child Support Agency's payment system; what the final cost, at current prices, was at the time of completion; and whether additional costs have been incurred since completion.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the child maintenance commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the original estimate, at current prices, was of the cost to the public purse of the computer system supplied by EDS Systems for the Child Support Agency's payment system; what the final cost, at current prices, was at the time of completion; and whether additional costs have been incurred since completion.
	The question has been assumed to relate to the CS2 child maintenance system, which was built by EDS and went live in 2003. “The cost to the public purse of the computer system” has been assumed to mean the cost of developing the system, rather than the cost of developing and running the system.
	The original outline estimate given by EDS (now Hewlett Packard) in 1999 for the cost of the build of the new CS2 system was £94m. This estimate is disclosed in the National Audit Office's (NAO) June 2006 report “Implementation of the child support reforms”. At today's prices, based on the Retail Price Index at December 1999 and June 2011, the £94m translates to £132.2m.
	The actual cost of developing the CS2 system was £225m. At today's prices, based on the RPI at April 2003, when the system went live, and June 2011, the £225m translates to £292.1m.
	During the Operational Improvement Plan (OIP), which ran between April 2006 and April 2009, a further £107m was invested in development to the CS2 system. This amount was disclosed in the NAO's December 2009 report on the performance of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission. At today's prices, based on the RPI for April 2009, when the OIP closed, and June 2011, the £107m translates to £119m.
	Following the closure of the OIP, two further remedial releases were made on the CS2 system. The cost of release 17, in 2009, was £4.2m. Release 18, in 2010, cost £5.4m. At today's prices, based on the RPI for December 2009 and December 2010 respectively and the RPI for June 2011, these translate to a total cost of £10.1 m.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Child Maintenance

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what modelling his Department has carried out on the likely range of changes in child maintenance liability that will occur if non-resident parents who are currently subject to a nil assessment for statutory child maintenance purposes are transferred to the future statutory scheme to begin in 2012.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the child maintenance commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what modelling his Department has carried out on the likely range of changes in child maintenance liability that will occur if non-resident parents who are currently subject to a nil assessment for statutory child maintenance purposes are transferred to the future statutory scheme to begin in 2012.
	The Commission will consult on a package of regulations for the future scheme calculation later this year. This will detail impacts of regulations on the State, employers and individuals using the services, including non-resident parents who are currently subject to a nil assessment under the Child Support Agency schemes. The consultation document will include details of the modelling used by the Commission.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Compensation

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 28 March 2011, Official Report, column 41W, on compensation, what steps he is taking to reduce the need for his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies to compensate the public.

Chris Grayling: The Department makes consolatory payments in certain circumstances where there has been maladministration, as set out in my answer to my hon. Friend of 28 March 2011, Official Report, columns 41-2W. We have a variety of measures in place with an objective of reducing levels of maladministration, and consequentially the amount of consolatory payments made. These include:
	a joint DWP/HMRC strategy to reduce welfare fraud and error (published October 2010);
	compliance teams in all agencies to ensure processes are being followed correctly;
	a published Charter of service standards, to ensure individuals understand the service standards they can expect from any DWP agency; and
	embedding the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's principles of good administration across the Department.
	DWP is also committed to using continuous improvement tools across the Department and its agencies to ensure our service is as efficient and effective as possible.
	Non-departmental public bodies can also make consolatory payments in certain circumstances where there has been maladministration(1). The Department's NDPBs adopt a proportionate approach with regards to reducing the need to compensate the public. This varies from body to body but includes policies of continuous improvement.
	(1) Although CMEC and ILF are taking steps to reduce the compensation which is paid to the public, other NDPBs (HSE and PP/PPF) are not taking any steps as the level of compensation paid out by these bodies has been, historically, very low.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2011, Official Report, column 238W, on departmental carbon emissions, whether the sources of low-carbon energy generation on its estate were manufactured in the UK.

Chris Grayling: The Combined Heat and Power Plant installed in Quarry House Leeds, currently the only source of low-carbon energy generation on the Department's estate, was manufactured in Salford, Greater Manchester by ENER-G Combined Power Ltd.

Departmental Lost Property

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what property has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost of replacement was.

Chris Grayling: The Department does not hold central records itemising assets taken or lost. Actions are taken at local level—where the information is recorded—and it would incur a disproportionate cost to obtain the information requested.
	In all cases of theft the matter is fully investigated and appropriate action taken by the Department. For certain items (such as computers and BlackBerry phones), where the item is not recovered, the police will be informed as a matter of routine.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on hospitality for staff since 12 May 2010.

Chris Grayling: All expenditure on hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Managing Public Money and the Treasury Handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
	Expenditure on hospitality from May 2010 to June 2011 is less than £3,000. Comparatively expenditure for the financial year 2009-10 was £25,000. We constantly seek to review and drive down expenditure in all areas.

Departmental Photographs

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on photoshoots and videos involving Ministers since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: Since May 2010 the Department for Work and Pensions has spent a total of £1,990.08 on four occasions when photographs were required of ministerial visits.
	All other photography and videos are done internally by DWP staff.

Departmental Redundancy

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on redundancy costs since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: Since May 2010 1,563 members of staff have left the Department and its agencies under early release schemes at a cost of £70.9 million.
	All early releases have all been voluntary and there have been no compulsory redundancies. Releases were all subject to governance processes designed to ensure that they supported business objectives and represented value for money.

Regulations: Guidance

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what process his Department follows for the production of regulatory guidance; and how many officials of his Department were involved in the production of such guidance on the last date for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: Regulatory guidance on social security benefits is contained in the Decision Makers Guide (DMG), an electronic publication which is produced to support the Department’s decision makers. It is also made available to the public via the internet.
	The process for production of amended or new guidance in response to legislative changes is that as regulations are made available from lawyers, officials with the relevant subject expertise draft content for the DMG. Once peer reviewed, this new content is immediately issued to all the Department’s decision makers, and also incorporated into the DMG, which is frequently republished.
	At present there are nine officials, part of whose role includes responsibility for drafting DMG.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many meetings he has had with hon. Members of each political party since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), meets hon. Members every day across all political parties and discusses all aspects of the Department’s business. This includes appearing before Select Committees and attending meetings to discuss reform.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will consider keeping data on the number of times (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have declined a request for a meeting from an hon. Member of each political party.

Chris Grayling: The current method used by this Department to process and monitor ministerial correspondence does not enable us easily to retrieve the information the hon. Gentleman seeks and there are no plans to change the IT system in use. Any changes would require additional investment. If, in the future, this system were to be updated we would look into this issue.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions a request for a meeting by an hon. Member of each political party was refused by (a) a Minister in his Department directly and (b) his Department on behalf of a Minister in November 2010.

Chris Grayling: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave to him on 12 July 2011, Official Report, column 239W, which was as follows:
	“In the main,. Ministers from this Department try not to refuse meetings with Members of Parliament. However, detailed information is not available other than at disproportionate costs.”
	DWP Ministers received over 3,000 pieces of correspondence in November 2010 from Members of Parliament and elected representatives of devolved Administrations; it is not possible to identify separately how many of these requested meetings other than at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Training

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on training for Ministers since May 2010; and what the purpose of the training was in each case.

Chris Grayling: This Department has spent a total of £3,525 on training for Ministers since May 2010. The purpose of this was for media training.

Disability Living Allowance

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons recipients of disability living allowance aged over 65 years do not receive the mobility component.

Maria Miller: A claim to disability living allowance, including the mobility component, made before a person’s 65(th) birthday, can remain in payment beyond age 65 as long as the conditions of entitlement remain satisfied, although a mobility component may not be added to an existing claim after that age.
	It is normal for pensions and benefit schemes to contain different provisions for people at different stages of their lives. Disability living allowance, which has a mobility component, is intended to focus additional help with the extra cost of disability on people who have the very considerable disadvantage of being severely disabled earlier in life and who as a consequence have less opportunity to work, earn and save compared with non-disabled people. The mobility component remains in payment beyond age 65, to reflect the ongoing disadvantage that people in these circumstances continue to have compared with people who develop mobility problems after age 65.

Disability Living Allowance: Carers

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of carers who will be subject to the proposed benefits cap because their household is not exempt as a result of a claim for disability living allowance or the personal independence payment.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available as sample sizes are too small to yield reliable results for those who are both receiving carer's allowance and subject to the household benefit cap.

Disability Living Allowance: Glenrothes

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged 25 to 35 years are in receipt of disability living allowance in Glenrothes constituency.

Maria Miller: The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of disability living allowance recipients aged 25 to 35 (inclusive) in Glenrothes parliamentary constituency ,  November 2010 
			  All ages 25 to 35 
			 Total 7,440 470 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 3. Parliamentary constituency is based on the Westminster Parliament of May 2010 Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) 100% data.

Education Support Allowance: Breast Cancer

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that the education support allowance assessment process and associated procedures take into account the needs of people suffering from breast cancer.

Chris Grayling: We are determined that the benefits system should support people who are diagnosed with cancer, including breast cancer, in the most sensitive, fair and appropriate way.
	Following an internal review we have recently made changes to the WCA so that more individuals undergoing certain chemotherapy treatments will automatically be placed in the Support Group without the need for an assessment.
	Additionally, Professor Harrington, as part of his second Independent Review asked Macmillan Cancer Support to look in detail at how the WCA assesses people with cancer and to provide him with any recommendations for further improvements.
	We have recently received these recommendations from Professor Harrington. We are considering them carefully to understand whether they will improve the assessment further for individuals with cancer. We will come forward with any proposals shortly.
	We will continue to review and refine the WCA to ensure that it is more effective, fairer for all claimants and as a result fairer for the taxpayer.

Employers’ Liability

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the impact of compulsory employer's liability insurance on (i) micro, (ii) small and (iii) medium-sized businesses.

Chris Grayling: Research conducted for the Health and Safety Executive in 2003 (‘Survey of compliance with Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance (ELCI) Act 1969’ Research Report 188) indicated that less than 1% of companies had failed to take out employers' liability (compulsory) insurance (ELCI).
	The survey found that 0.9% of micro firms, 0.37% of small firms and 0.6% of large sized firms lacked ELCI.
	Further research was commissioned in 2009 and details of the findings will be published in due course.

Employment: Disability

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what monitoring the Office for Disability Issues has undertaken to ensure that Government Departments have implemented the agreement with his Department on access to work support for the employment and retention of disabled members of staff; and if he will publish the most recent monitoring report.

Maria Miller: Most civil service Departments do not use the Access to Work programme to provide assistance to their disabled employees and as such none of their employees should receive support from the Access to Work programme.
	Instead Departments provide the funding for support and adjustments for their disabled staff.
	The Office for Disability Issues does not monitor this.

Employment: Disability

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had on the conclusions and recommendations of the Sayce Report on disability employment support.

Maria Miller: Since the publication of the Sayce review, “Getting in, staying in and getting on”, on 9 June 2011, I have had a number of discussions on its findings.
	On 20 June, I met the Minister for Care Services, the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Burstow), the Minister for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, my hon. Friend the Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr Hayes) and the Minister for Children and Families, the hon. Member for Brent Central (Sarah Teather), for an initial discussion on the recommendations, which I accepted upon publication, to create a cross-Government group to address disability employment. I met the Remploy trade unions on 13 July and plan to meet them again. I have also met the principals of the residential training colleges to take their initial views on the report.
	I confirmed, when the report was published, that the Government would consult before moving to any decisions on the future strategy for specialist disability employment programmes. The Government's response and a separate public consultation were launched on 11 July 2011. The consultation will run till 17 October 2011. A programme of consultation events is planned over the summer, involving a wide range of stakeholders.
	I encourage all interested parties to use the opportunity of consultation to contribute their views to this important subject. Details of the consultation exercise can be found at the following link:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2011/specialist-disability-emp-prog.shtml
	Alternatively the hon. Gentleman can request a copy of the consultation document by writing to the Sayce Review Consultation Team, Level 3 Steel City House, West Street, Sheffield, S1 2GQ or telephone 0114 2948239.

Employment: Older People

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to assist people aged over 50 who are unemployed to enter employment.

Chris Grayling: Jobcentre Plus treats jobseekers of all ages equally, and in 2010 we delivered new training to advisers to enhance the support they can offer to claimants who are aged 50 or over. Older jobseekers have the same access to a comprehensive menu of individually tailored help as those under 50 (apart from the specific options for jobseekers aged under 25). Support is tailored to the individual needs of each jobseeker, including help with work-related training and job-search support. Older jobseekers who are eligible can also access Get Britain Working measures, such as Work Clubs, Work Together, and the new enterprise allowance for individuals who are looking to become self-employed.
	The newly launched Work Programme will also provide support for those who are more at risk of long-term unemployment. Work Programme providers are free to innovate and design support based on the needs of individuals, and will be paid primarily for the results they achieve in supporting people into sustained employment. All jobseeker's allowance, employment and support allowance and pension credit claimants can access the Work Programme at a time that is right for them.

Employment: Travel Costs

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to ensure that people not claiming benefits are responsible for the travel costs of seeking employment.

Chris Grayling: For people receiving working age benefits, help with the additional travel costs arising from work search is available. In certain circumstances such help may also be available to people not in receipt of benefit, at the discretion of the personal adviser.

Employment: Young People

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to support young people into work.

Chris Grayling: Work Experience and Apprenticeships are central to improving the prospects of young unemployed people.
	We are funding an additional 80,000 placements meaning that there will be up to 100,000 placements available for young people to undertake a period of valuable Work Experience lasting between two and eight weeks. Claimants in the 18 to 24 age group are eligible for Work Experience and we recently announced the widening of eligibility to include 16 and 17-year-olds in receipt of jobseeker's allowance.
	The Government are funding up to 250,000 more apprenticeships over the next four years and we are strengthening the links between Work Experience and Apprenticeships. Later this year Work Experience placements will be extended by up to four weeks where employers make a firm offer of an Apprenticeship and that offer is accepted.
	We have improved our package of support to provide earlier entry to the Work Programme for more vulnerable young people and are providing additional Jobcentre Plus help for 16 and 17-year-old jobseeker's allowance claimants.

Families Against Corporate Killers

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will arrange a meeting with representatives of Families Against Corporate Killers.

Chris Grayling: Department for Work and Pensions Ministers will consider meeting requests from stakeholders, including Families Against Corporate Killers, as diary commitments allow.

Housing Benefit

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the potential effect of his proposed household benefits cap on the Homelessness Prevention Service run by Edinburgh Cyrenians.

Chris Grayling: The benefit cap will mean that people on benefit will face choices about housing costs similar to those faced by people in work. But it will not necessarily mean that they will need to move from their home. Even within the limits of this cap, households will still be able to receive significant amounts of financial assistance from state welfare payments and if a member of the household moves into work and becomes eligible for working tax credit they will be exempt from the impacts of the cap.
	There is a range of help local authorities can offer to households at risk of becoming homeless including the provision of discretionary housing payments. We have already made an additional £190 million available over the spending review period for this purpose as a result of the changes we have made to housing benefit.
	The Government published their impact assessment of the benefit cap in February alongside the introduction of the Welfare Reform Bill.
	This made it clear that the assessment sought is not possible to estimate because this would have to be based on behavioural changes
	The impact assessment can be found via the following link:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/household-benefit-cap-wr2011-ia.pdf

Industrial Accidents

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2011, Official Report, column 34W, on industrial accidents, if he will assess the effects of (a) proactive workplace inspections and (b) incident inspections on the behaviour of employers and employees.

Chris Grayling: Proactive activity (of which workplace inspections are a part) and incident follow-up inspections are both important functions of HSE. Their impact on the behaviour of employers and employees however cannot be reliably distinguished from the impact of other functions, noticeably the success of employer and employees in operating an effective and proportionate health and safety system in the workplace.

Industrial Health and Safety

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which health and safety stakeholders and representative groups the Minister for Employment has met since the launch of the Good health and safety, Good for everyone strategy on 21 March 2011; and on how many occasions.

Chris Grayling: Since the launch of the Good health and safety, Good for everyone strategy on 21 March, I have met with the following stakeholders and representative groups, on one occasion each, to discuss health and safety issues:
	Chemicals Industries Association
	Engineering Employers' Federation
	Confederation of British Industry
	Alliance of Industry Associations
	National Farmer's Union
	Environmental Services Association
	UK Contractors Group
	Trades Union Congress
	Association of British Insurers
	Zurich
	British Chambers of Commerce
	Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
	The Law Society.

Industrial Health and Safety: Prosecutions

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employers who have fewer than three employees were prosecuted under health and safety legislation in the last 12 months.

Chris Grayling: HSE does not hold prosecution data at this level of detail.

Industrial Health and Safety: Prosecutions

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many health and safety prosecutions there were in the last 12 months; and how many of these followed a serious illness or accident involving (a) customers and (b) employees.

Chris Grayling: From 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011, the Health and Safety Executive completed 518 prosecutions. This figure is based on current information in advance of the release of official statistics for this period in October 2011.
	It is not possible to sub-divide this figure to provide the information in the form requested in the second part of the question.

New Enterprise Allowance

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the New Enterprise Allowance National Rollout scheme.

Chris Grayling: The rollout of the NEA across Great Britain is progressing well and is on schedule to be completed during August.

Pensioners: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of pensioners in (a) the London borough of Bexley and (b) Greater London living in social housing in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Stunell: I have been asked to reply.
	The requested data are not available for the London borough of Bexley.
	There were an estimated 149,000 households with a householder of pensionable age, that is aged 65 or over if male, or aged 60 or over if female, living in social housing in London in 2009-10. This estimate is based on data from the 2009-10 English Housing Survey.

Poverty: Children

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the level of child poverty in rural communities in each of the next four financial years.

Maria Miller: This information is not available.
	Modelled tax and benefit reforms announced since Budget 2010 may have a small reduction in overall child poverty in 2011-12 and 2012-13; however, given the uncertainty around these types of estimates, this change may be on the edge of statistical significance. This analysis has not been carried out separately for those in rural communities.
	The most recent estimates of rural child poverty are presented as follows. Due to different definitions of rurality in Scotland compared to England and Wales, and the fact that no information is collected on the family resources survey covering rurality in Northern Ireland, it has not been possible to present figures for the United Kingdom as a whole. This also means that the figures supplied for Scotland are not comparable with the other figures presented. For Wales and Scotland, three years of data have had to be combined due to small sample size.
	The latest data available from the households below average incomes for 2009-10 shows that in England, before housing costs, the proportion of children in relative poverty is 15% in rural areas compared with 20% in urban areas.
	The latest data available from the households below average incomes for 2007-08 to 2009-10 show that in Wales, before housing costs, the proportion of children in relative poverty is 21% in rural areas compared to 28% in urban areas.
	The latest data available from the households below average incomes for 2009-10 show that in England and Wales, before housing costs, the proportion of children in relative poverty is 16% in rural areas compared to 20% in urban areas.
	The latest data available from the households below average incomes for 2007-08 to 2009-10 show that in Scotland, before housing costs, the proportion of children in relative poverty is 16% in rural areas compared to 21% in urban areas.
	Notes:
	1. These statistics are based on households below average income (HBAI) data sourced from the 2009-10 family resources survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living.
	2. Net disposable incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax, payments, national insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes.
	3. Figures have been presented on a before housing costs basis. For before housing costs, housing costs are not deducted from income, while for after housing costs they are.
	4. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response.
	5. The reference period for HBAI figures is the financial year.
	6. Proportions of children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest percentage point.
	7. Three survey years have been combined for Scotland and Wales because single year estimates are not considered to be sufficiently reliable.
	8. Due to different definitions of rurality in Scotland compared to England and Wales, and the fact that no information is collected on the family resources survey covering rurality in Northern Ireland, it has not been possible to present figures for the United Kingdom as a whole.

Rural Areas

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether officials of his Department have had recent discussions with the Rural Communities Policy Unit in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Chris Grayling: Officials in the Department for Work and Pensions have a number of discussions ongoing with counterparts in the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, including the Rural Communities Policy Unit, regarding employment, skills, Jobcentre Plus services and priorities for older people living in rural communities.

Social Security Benefits

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential impact on third sector projects of introducing a household benefits cap.

Chris Grayling: The Government have made no assessment of the potential impact on third sector projects of introducing a household benefits cap.
	The benefit cap is intended to increase incentives to work and when someone starts employment and becomes eligible for working tax credit they will be exempt from the cap. We are putting in place the Work programme, which will give unemployed people unprecedented levels of personal support to get them into the workplace.
	We expect a broad range of Work programme support to be delivered by a broad mix of organisations, including those from the third sector, so that everyone who enters the Work programme gets the right mix of help for them.

Social Security Benefits

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals in each nation of the UK are in receipt of each type of welfare or employment benefit.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			 Benefit claimants by country in Great Britain: latest figures 
			  England Scotland Wales 
			 Income Support—November 2010 1,509,170 175,010 103,430 
			 Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)—June 2011 122,222 140,557 71,594 
			 Incapacity Benefit/Severe Disablement Allowance—November 2010 1,654,130 221,560 146,450 
			 Employment and Support Allowance—November 2010 493,710 60,430 39,440 
			 State Pension—November 2010 9,776,260 1,009,040 636,200 
			 Pension Credit—November 2010 2,279,540 274,790 162,690 
			 Disability Living Allowance (DLA)—November 2010 2,591,970 343,210 242,350 
			 Attendance Allowance (AA)—November 2010 1,364,810 146,930 114,210 
			 Carer's Allowance (CA)—November 2010 472,980 49,870 35,440 
			 Bereavement Benefits—November 2010 50,390 6,030 3,140 
			 Widow's Benefits—November 2010 35,980 4,610 2,330 
			 Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit—September 2010 7,780 970 870 
			 Housing Benefit—April 2011 4,141,230 472,450 242,470 
			 Council Tax Benefit—April 2011 4,943,110 561,360 324,110 
			 Winter Fuel Payments—2009-10 10,810,140 1,105,760 694,200 
			 Maternity Allowance (MA)—1 September 2010 to 30 November 2010 15,200 1,300 800 
			 Notes: 1. MA is based on a 5% sample and therefore subject to sampling variation, all other figures are based on 100% data. 2. MA figures are rounded to the nearest 100, JSA are unrounded with all other figures rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Figures are based on the timepoint listed. 4. JSA figures are based on claimant count figures and are available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/Default.asp All other figures are available on the Department's website at: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool 5. DLA, AA, and CA figures are based on people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 6. Incapacity benefit was replaced for new claims with employment and support allowance in October 2008. 7. Widow's benefits include widow's pension and widowed mother's allowance. All claimants of widow's benefits are female. No new claims for widow's benefits have been accepted since April 2001 when they were replaced by bereavement benefits. 8. Bereavement benefits include bereavement allowance and widowed parent's allowance. 9. Housing benefit/council tax benefit refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 10. Winter fuel payments data refer to the final payment run, i.e. they include the late payment run figures. 11. Northern Ireland: DWP does not hold statistics for Northern Ireland residents. These may be obtained from the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland website. Sources: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. Jobcentre Plus computer systems. Single Housing Benefit Extract. DWP Information Directorate 5% samples.

Social Security Benefits

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to his Department was of administering benefits in respect of each nation of the UK in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 Total DWP 2010-11 administrative expenditure 5,866 
			 England 4,772 
			 Wales 340 
			 Scotland 549 
			 Northern Ireland 0 
			 Outside UK 204 
			 Source: DWP Resource Accounts 2010/11 and DWP statistical and accounting data.

Social Security Benefits

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of families receiving benefit entitlements in the UK who also receive benefits from another EU member state due to the social insurance contributions of a partner working in that member state.

Chris Grayling: Migrant workers within Europe may receive benefits from more than one member state. This is a consequence of the European rules on social security co-ordination. These rules cover benefits for old age, survivors, invalidity, unemployment, industrial injury and prescribed diseases, sickness, maternity, and family.
	If someone makes a claim to a UK benefit, we ask them to provide details of any relevant income and that might include details of foreign contributory benefits received by members of the family. We use that information to assess their entitlement to UK benefits. However, we do not keep a separate record of such information and are not able to estimate the number of partners who may be receiving a contributory benefit across the range of social security benefits.

Third Sector

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which charities and voluntary organisations Ministers in his Department have visited since 12 May 2010.

Chris Grayling: DWP Ministers have visited the following charities and voluntary organisations since 12 May 2010:
	
		
			 Minister Date Organisation Location 
			 Secretary of State 30 July 2010 Bromley By Bow Centre London 
			  2 September 2010 Stepping Stones Belfast 
			  22 September 2010 Forth Sector Edinburgh 
			  30 September 2010 Our Place at Work Ellesmere Port 
			  18 November 2010 Victory Outreach Gwent 
		
	
	
		
			  10 February 2011 New Lanark World Heritage Site South Lanarkshire 
			   Robert Owen Institute Motherwell 
			  17 March 2011 Toynbee Hall London 
			  7 March 2011 Clockwise Credit Union Leicester 
			  25 March 2011 Amber Devon 
			  1 April 2011 Forth Sector Edinburgh 
			  6 April 2011 Oakwood Youth Challenge Wokingham 
			  12 July 2011 Working Links Caerphilly 
			   Tydfil Training Consulting Ltd Pontypridd 
			     
			 Minister for Disabled People 16 June 2010 Breakthrough UK Manchester 
			  17 June 2010 Barnet Carers Centre Barnet 
			  30 June 2010 Access to Work London SE1 
			  13 July 2010 Project Search Site Colney, Norwich 
			   Norse Commercial Services Norwich 
			  20 July 2010 Essex Coalition of Disabled People Chelmsford 
			  25 August 2010 Remploy Coventry 
			  23 September 2010 Bsafe Centre Blackpool 
			   Independent Living Centre Blackpool 
			  26 October 2010 St Mungo's (two centres) London 
			  16 November 2010 Social Firms Dorking 
			  1 December 2010 Apasenth London 
			  13 December 2010 Newham Coalition of Disabled People London 
			  25 January 2011 Leonard Cheshire Care Home Rustington, Littlehampton 
			  8 February 2011 St Agnes Leonard Cheshire Care Home Banbury, Oxfordshire 
			  17 February 2011 Holly Croft Care Home Biggleswade 
			  22 February 2011 Onkar Care Home Leicester 
			   Relate Doncaster 
			  17 March 2011 New Life Centre for Disabled Children Cannock 
			  29 June 2011 MENCAP Employment Services Wallington 
			  30 June 2011 Action for Children's Centre Ashington 
			   Finchale Residential Training College Finchale 
			     
			 Minister for Welfare Reform 11 August 2010 Shaw Trust Trowbridge, Wilts 
			  29 October 2010 Ley Community Yarnton, Oxfordshire 
			  26 November 2010 Scottish Association for Mental Health Edinburgh 
			   Redhall Edinburgh 
			  25 January 2011 East London Housing Partnership Olympic Site E10 
			  4 March 2011 North City Training, Dunanney Centre Rathcoole NI 
			   Spectrum Centre, Shankill Road Belfast NI 
			   New Life Counselling Steps to Work Belfast NI 
			  28 June 2011 Centrepoint London 
			     
			 Minister for Employment 3 August 2010 Working Links London 
			  21 September 2010 Bron Afon Community House Cwmbran 
			   Rhondda Life Ltd Ferndale 
			  11 October 2010 Community Restart Burnley 
			   Cornerstone Aberdeen 
			  28 October 2010 Wise Group Glasgow 
			  3 November 2010 Stepping Stones Belfast 
			   Springvale Training Belfast 
			  11 November 2010 Youth Charter Manchester 
			  31 January 2011 St Helens Chamber of Commerce St Helens 
			  10 February 2011 Rethink London 
		
	
	
		
			  1 April 2011 Action Acton Acton, London 
			   Prospect Training Gloucester 
			  29 June 2011 Salvation Army Ipswich 
			  12 July 2011 Papworth Trust Wellingborough 
			  15 July 2011 Shaw Trust Stafford 
			     
			 Minister for Pensions 12 July 2010 Age UK House of Commons, London 
			  5 August 2010 London Older Peoples Assembly London 
			  29 September 2010 Carers Advice and Resource Establishment (CARES) Smethwick, Birmingham 
			  30 September 2010 Extra Time—a programme for older people run by Bristol Rovers FC Horfield, Bristol 
			  6 October 2010 Trinity Community Centre Gateshead 
			  12 October 2010 Age Concern Hampshire Winchester 
			  10 February 2011 Digital Inclusion Worksop 
			  1 March 2011 South West Seniors Forum Taunton 
			  30 March 2011 West Midlands Life Forum Birmingham 
			  24 May 2011 The Pensions Advisory Service London

Universal Credit

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with housing associations on the effects on their tenants of the proposed introduction of universal credit.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions have direct discussions on universal credit, and the housing element of universal credit, with a range of stakeholder groups including housing associations.
	We have also said that there are advantages in paying the housing component to individuals, but we also recognise the importance of stable rental income for social landlords. We are considering a range of options for achieving this, such as the use of direct debits and other protection mechanisms which could safeguard landlords' incomes. Moreover, we are retaining a facility in universal credit for direct payments to landlords.

Universal Credit

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether his Department has made an estimate of the (a) cost of ending existing commercial housing benefit contracts as a result of the introduction of universal credit and (b) cost of paying compensation to (i) local authorities, (ii) housing associations and (iii) contractors for early extension;
	(2)  how many housing benefit staff employed by (a) local authorities, (b) housing associations and (c) contractors are expected to transfer to his Department under Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations to administer universal credit.

Steve Webb: The Welfare Reform White Paper sets out that the Department for Work and Pensions will be responsible for organising the delivery of universal credit. It also states that we will continue to pay housing benefit to working age customers until we can migrate them successfully on to universal credit, currently expected to be by October 2017. We have yet to settle on the precise details of how the transition will work, and the effects on housing benefits staff. This approach will ensure an orderly transition, and ensure that we have people with relevant skills and experience to support claimants both in work and out of work, as they migrate to the new credit.
	We will continue to work with colleagues in HM Revenue and Customs and local authorities to test new ways of working and consider how, in the longer term, we can build on the best capabilities of current organisations to provide a consistently excellent service to claimants and ensure value for money. This work will also confirm whether and how TUPE will apply for those staff affected in all organisations.

Universal Credit

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has made any assessment of (a) the number of housing benefit staff who may be made redundant under his proposals to introduce universal credit and (b) the cost to (i) local authorities, (ii) housing associations and (iii) contractors of such redundancies.

Steve Webb: It is still too early to say how many staff, and what skills and experience will be required for universal credit. Decisions about TUPE and redundancy cannot be made until there is much more definition around the specific roles required to deliver the new universal credit. Although it is anticipated that fewer staff will be required compared with the legacy benefits, it is too early to say which staff and organisations will be affected. The impact on local authority staff will be affected by the design of the council tax benefit replacement, and decisions about the delivery model for universal credit.

Universal Credit

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the assets and systems used to provide the housing benefit service will transfer from local authorities, housing associations and contractors to his Department under his proposals for universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The systems and processes for universal credit are still under development and the requirements will depend on future delivery options. As many local authorities use the same assets and systems to provide council tax and housing benefit, decisions about the assets and systems cannot be made until the future design of the council tax benefit is known.

Universal Credit: Carers

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of carers in receipt of means-tested benefits who will be ineligible for an earnings disregard when they move onto or begin to claim universal credit.

Chris Grayling: Departmental modelling estimates that, in steady-state universal credit, approximately 20% of households with a carer who would have received means-tested support under a continuation of the current system of benefits and tax credits, would not be eligible for an earnings disregard in universal credit.
	Universal credit modelling is conducted using the Department's' Policy Simulation Model. This is a static microsimulation model based on 2008-09 Family Resources Survey data and, as such, estimates should be treated as indicative only. Estimates have been adjusted to take account of the current imperfect take-up of benefits and the improved take-up rate under universal credit. Carer households are defined as those where an adult is providing informal care for 35 or more hours a week.

Universal Credit: Free School Meals

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost implications for schools of administering free school meals under the universal credit.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the level of administrative costs for schools administering free school meals under the universal credit.

Chris Grayling: Defining entitlement to certain passported benefits is the responsibility of other Departments and devolved Administrations. Free school meals are the responsibility of the Department for Education.
	The Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) have been commissioned to carry out an independent review on passported benefits on behalf of the Government and will present advice in a non-binding report by the end of January 2012.
	The SSAC launched a public consultation looking at passported benefits which is open until 22 July.

Work Capability Assessment

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on work capability assessment tests for people diagnosed with a progressive condition.

Chris Grayling: The work capability assessment (WCA) is an assessment of an individual's functional capability. It focuses on the effects of a person's condition, not their diagnosis, as individuals can be affected in very different ways by the same condition.
	In assessing individuals with a progressive condition, the WCA will take into account the effects of their condition on their capability for work, including the likely speed of progression. Individuals who are allowed the benefit will be reassessed at regular intervals to see if they still meet the conditions for entitlement. Any changes in their condition and resultant changes in their capability for work will be picked up at this time.

Work Capability Assessment: Illnesses

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will amend his Department's ESA50 questionnaire to include specific questions on whether the respondent is suffering from a terminal illness.

Chris Grayling: We aim to treat people with terminal illness (defined as less than six months to live) sensitively and to ensure they are allowed the additional support of the Support Group as quickly as possible, without the need for a face-to-face assessment. To do this, employment and support allowance has special rules that ensure individuals who claim the benefit because they are terminally ill do not have to fill out an ESA50 questionnaire or attend a face-to-face assessment; instead, in the vast majority of cases, they are placed in the Support Group on the basis of medical evidence from their general practitioner or treating health care professional.
	Such medical evidence is usually provided in the form of a DS1500. If further clarification or evidence is deemed necessary, requests are normally made direct to the general practitioner or treating health care professional. As a result, we do not intend to modify the ESA50 questionnaire to include specific questions about terminal illness.

Work Capability Assessment: Illnesses

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether there are any circumstances in which a terminally ill person in possession of a DS1500 form and migrating from incapacity benefit to employment support allowance would be required to undergo a work capability assessment.

Chris Grayling: Anyone who claims employment and support allowance because they are terminally ill and they meet the criteria for terminal illness (that they have less than six months to live), such as through evidence on a DS1500 form, will not be required to undertake a face-to-face assessment. Instead they will be fast tracked into the Support Group where they will receive unconditional support.
	Individuals who do not meet the criteria for terminal illness may have to undergo a face-to-face assessment.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Armed Forces

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take to maintain security levels in Afghanistan during the transfer of combat duties to Afghan security forces in 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: holding answer 18 July 2011
	The transfer of lead security responsibility across Afghanistan to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) is a process that will be complete by the end of 2014. As this process continues, coalition forces, along with Afghan forces, will continue operations to protect the population and degrade the insurgent threat.
	We are confident that, by the end of 2014, the ANSF will be capable of preventing terrorist organisations from again using Afghanistan as a base from which to threaten the UK’s national security.

Aircraft Carriers: Fuels

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to page 36 of the National Audit Office's report on Carrier Strike, HC 1092, what his policy is on the conclusions in respect of air-to-air refuelling.

Peter Luff: holding answer 18 July 2011
	Work is under way to assess the most cost-effective means of providing an embarked air-to-air refuelling capability in support of the Department's future Carrier Strike capability.
	We anticipate completing this work by March 2012 and will use its output to inform future decisions on the Carrier Strike programme.

Armed Forces

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many citizens of each Commonwealth country have (a) applied to enlist and (b) enlisted in the armed forces in the latest year for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 18 July 2011
	The information requested is provided in the following table. Please note that a direct correlation should not be drawn between the applicant and entrant figures; those listed as entrants may have applied in a previous year while those applying in the period given may not have entered the services until a later date or at all.
	
		
			 2010-11 
			  Naval Service applications Naval Service entrants Army applications Army entrants RAF applications RAF entrants 
			 Antigua 1 — 1 1 — — 
			 Australia 16 4 11 3 1 — 
			 Bahamas 1 — — — — — 
			 Bangladesh 1 — 7 1 1 — 
			 Barbados — — 1 — — — 
			 Bermuda — — 1 — — — 
			 Botswana — — 2 2 — — 
			 Cameroon 1 — 19 6 — — 
			 Canada 15 3 7 3 — — 
			 Cyprus 1 — 1 — — — 
			 Dominica 7 — — 3 — — 
			 Fiji 60 13 58 30 1 — 
			 Gambia 20 2 60 34 — — 
			 Ghana 14 — 143 65 1 — 
			 Grenada 8 — 8 3 — — 
			 Guyana 2 1 — 3 — — 
			 India 12 — 54 14 1 — 
			 Jamaica 22 1 32 15 2 — 
			 Kenya 9 3 34 28 1 — 
			 Malawi 1 1 26 24 — — 
			 Malaysia — — 1 — 1 — 
			 Malta — — 3 2 — — 
			 Mauritius 1 — 8 7 1 — 
			 New Zealand 8 4 13 9 — — 
			 Namibia 1 — — — — — 
			 Nigeria 36 2 71 24 1 1 
			 Pakistan 6 — 8 2 — — 
			 Papua New Guinea — — 1 1 — — 
			 Rwanda 1 — 1 — — — 
			 Seychelles 1 — 4 2 — — 
			 Sierra Leone — 1 7 5 — — 
			 South Africa 78 29 85 69 3 — 
			 Sri Lanka 4 — 3 2 2 1 
			 St Helena — — 1 2 — — 
			 St Lucia 3 — 11 3 1 — 
			 St Vincent 64 9 18 4 — — 
			 Swaziland 2 — — — — — 
			 Tanzania 1 — 4 3 — — 
			 Trinidad 10 1 2 — 2 — 
			 Uganda 5 — 16 8 1 — 
		
	
	
		
			 Zambia 6 1 — 4 — — 
			 Zimbabwe 28 3 — 8 3 —

Armed Forces: Animals

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many animal mascots there are in the armed forces; and what their cost is.

Andrew Robathan: There are a number of mascots in the armed forces, some of which are official, and thus attract a certain level of official funding to cover accommodation, movement, quarantine, veterinary services, bedding and rations. Other, unofficial mascots are maintained through private unit funds.
	Neither the Royal Navy nor the Royal Air Force has any official mascots. The Army has a total of 10 official mascots.
	Information related to the cost of maintaining these animals is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Children

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the (a) name and (b) budget is of each scheme under which his Department mentors service children;
	(2)  what the (a) name and (b) budget is of each scheme under which his Department makes provision for service children.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 14 July 2011
	The Ministry of Defence provides support networks and other related funding for support to families such as Hives, nursery provision, access to sports facilities, welfare, pastoral and other support services. It is not possible however to break down further the families funding that is specific to service children.
	The following table identifies specific provision for service children:
	
		
			 Provision Cost (£) 
			 Service children's education (1)121 million 
			 Continuity of education allowance (2)181 million 
			 Bereavement scholarship grant (3)182,000 
			 School children's visits (4)— 
			 (1) Operating cost for financial year 2009-10 (2) Financial year 2010-11. (3) Academic year 2010-11. (4 )Information is not held in the format requested.

Armed Forces: Children

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average payment of continuity education allowance was in respect of children of personnel at each service rank in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 14 July 2011
	The average amount of children's education allowance (CEA) paid to each rank, irrespective of the number of children, for financial year 2010-11 can be found in the following table:
	
		
			 Army rank or equivalent Average CEA claimed by personnel in financial year 2010-11 (£000) 
			 Lieutenant/Second lieutenant 11.7 
			 Captain 18.3 
			 Major 20.0 
			 Lieutenant colonel 23.2 
			 Colonel 24.4 
			 Brigadier 24.2 
			 Major general 22.3 
			 Lieutenant general 14.0 
			 General 7.6 
			 Private 13.6 
			 Lance corporal (applicable to army only) 12.3 
			 Corporal 13.4 
			 Sergeant 15.5 
			 Staff sergeant 16.0 
			 Warrant officer 2 15.9 
			 Warrant officer 1 17.5 
		
	
	Rounding has been applied to all figures. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.
	The averages shown do not include the tax and national insurance payable by the Ministry of Defence to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs against CEA as these cannot be attributed to individual claims.

Armed Forces: Housing

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service family accommodation properties have been assessed at the EcoHomes06 standard of (a) pass, (b) good, (c) very good and (d) excellent.

Andrew Robathan: An EcoHomes06 assessment for recently completed service family accommodation upgrade projects at Putney and Chicksands has been undertaken. All 180 properties achieved a ‘pass’ rating.
	The EcoHomes06 assessment uses environmental factors outside the control of this Department, and there will be locations where the highest rating is impractical to achieve.

Armed Forces: Housing

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of the disused service married quarters in and around St Nicholas Avenue, Gosport.

Andrew Robathan: There are 87 service homes on the Shackleton road and St Nicholas Avenue estate which are surplus to future Defence requirements. These properties are due to be returned to Annington Homes Ltd in November 2011.
	The future use of these properties will then become a matter for the company.

Armed Forces: Injuries

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2011, Official Report, column 45W, on armed forces: injuries, what proportion of Defence Science and Technology Laboratory research has been published in scientific peer-reviewed journals in each of the last five years; and what the name is of each project that has resulted in the publication of research in such journals.

Peter Luff: holding answer 18 July 2011
	Wherever possible, the Ministry of Defence, in collaboration with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), publishes the results of its research programme in open scientific peer reviewed journals.
	We do not hold data which shows what proportion of DSTL’s research has been published in scientific peer reviewed journals in each of the last five years; however, the following table shows the number of items published in the years in question, all of which have arisen from the combat casualty care project.
	
		
			  Number 
			 2006 2 
			 2007 6 
			 2008 5 
			 2009 1 
			 2010 4 
			 2011 7 
		
	
	These 25 items consist of publications, conference papers and theses.

Armed Forces: Offenders

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many former offenders have enlisted in the armed forces in each year since 2001.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 18 July 2011
	This information is not held. The armed forces adhere to the requirements of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. This means that if a certain period of time has passed since the date on which the individual was convicted, the conviction becomes ‘spent’ and there is no requirement for this offence to be declared or recorded.

Armed Forces: Royal Household

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel are attached to the Royal Household; and at what cost.

Andrew Robathan: In order to provide service knowledge and assistance to six members of the royal family in their service appointments, 13 members of the armed forces are permanently attached to the royal household at a total cost of approximately £960,000 per annum.

Armed Forces: Training

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of recruits enlisting in the armed forces below the age of 18 years attended the Army Foundation College Harrogate in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 14 July 2011
	The percentage of recruits below the age of 18 years attending the Army Foundation College, Harrogate for the last seven years are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Recruits 
			  Percentage 
			 2010-11 55 
			 2009-10 40 
			 2008-09 34 
			 2007-08 32 
			 2006-07 26 
			 2005-06 26 
			 2004-05 26

Armed Forces: Training

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the range of recognised, transferable civilian academic and vocational qualifications studied by recruits at the Army Foundation College Harrogate in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 14 July 2011
	The Army Foundation College, Harrogate (AFC(H)) provides vocational apprenticeship training for recruits under the age of 18, to prepare them for their future military careers.
	All recruits at the AFC(H) enrol on a level 2 apprenticeship for IT users which provides a level 2 iTQ diploma for IT users. They also undertake functional skills in English and maths at level 1. Recruits may also undertake the European Computer Driving Licence, the Duke of Edinburgh Award and the St John's First Aid Award.
	At the end of the 50-week course, recruits will have acquired a number of vocational skills which will furnish them to progress in their military careers.

Armed Forces: Training

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of 16-year-old recruits training at the Army Foundation College Harrogate gained five or more GCSEs during training in each of the last 10 years; in which subjects such qualifications were awarded in each such year; and how many such qualifications were awarded at grade C or above in each such year.

Andrew Robathan: The Army Foundation College, Harrogate (AFC(H)) provides a non-academic, vocational apprenticeship. GCSEs are not undertaken at the AFC(H).
	Recruits who do not already have GCSEs are provided with functional skills in English and maths to a sufficient standard to enable them to progress through their military careers.

Armed Forces: Young People

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the legal advice his Department has received on the minimum terms of service (a) for recruits who enlist in the Army below the age of 18 years (b) for adult recruits in the Army and (c) for minors in the RAF and Royal Navy.

Andrew Robathan: Internal legal advice on this issue constitutes part of normal policy development work within the Department, which is an ongoing process, and is not generally released. The provisions are longstanding and I can confirm that no legal advice on the development of the provisions has been given in recent years. However, we are satisfied that there is no legal difficulty with any disparity between differing terms of service in the three services or between different age groups. Individuals join a single service of their choosing, not the armed forces generally, and each service has different operational requirements. Depending upon which service a recruit has chosen they must abide by its requirements in relation to terms of engagement.

Defence: Procurement

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent with (a) EDS Defence and (b) Aegis Defence Services in each year from 1997 to 2010.

Peter Luff: Payments made by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to EDS Defence Ltd and Aegis Defence Services since 1998-99 are shown in the following tables (information for 1997-98 is no longer available):
	
		
			 Financial year Payments to EDS Defence Ltd (£ million) 
			 1998-99 141 
			 1999-2000 116 
			 2000-01 118 
			 2001-02 144 
			 2002-03 179 
			 2003-04 181 
			 2004-05 201 
			 2005-06 336 
			 2006-07 570 
			 2007-08 634 
			 2008-09 775 
			 2009-10 818 
			 2010-11 783 
		
	
	
		
			 Financial year Payments to Aegis Defence Services (£) 
			 1998-99 to 2007-08 Nil 
			 2008-09 5,000 
			 2009-10 6,000 
			 2010-11 1,000 
		
	
	Figures are at current prices and exclude VAT.
	The payments reported have been extracted from the MOD's central contracts database on which is recorded the majority (about 95%) of all MOD payments. Payments not processed centrally are not included and may have been made on behalf of other Government Departments, by the MOD's Trading Funds and Executive Non-Departmental Bodies (which lie outside the MOD's accounting boundary), locally by the Department, through third parties such as prime contractors or other Government Departments and in relation to collaborative, projects where the payments are made through international procurement agencies or overseas Governments.
	From 2004-05, the individual subsidiaries and joint ventures relating to EDS Defence Ltd have been reproduced from the corporate structures published in Table 1.17a of UK Defence Statistics. We have used the Hewlett Packard corporate structure for 2008-09 onwards following their take over of EDS. When this occurs during the financial year, annual payments are recorded against the company taking ownership of the contract.
	Figures before 2004-05 may not reflect the full holding company structure for EDS Defence Ltd owing to data limitations.

Defence: Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what (a) equipment and (b) supplies have been procured through urgent operational requirements since the conclusion of the Strategic Defence and Security Review;
	(2)  which (a) manufacturers and (b) suppliers have fulfilled an urgent operational requirement since the conclusion of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Peter Luff: Since October 2010, a range of equipments have been procured as urgent operational requirements (UORs). These UORs cover a broad spectrum of capabilities including: military working dogs complete with their specialist requirements (health, welfare, protection and veterinary needs); improved service recovery vehicle (protected mobility); increased aero medical capacity; improved helicopter engines; counter-improvised explosive device task force uplift; improved digital mapping and aircraft protection systems. The contracts have been placed with a number of companies, including BAES, Agusta Westland, MP Aerospace, Guartel, SELEX, WA Products, Rolls Royce, Honeywell and Thales Air Defence Ltd.
	Specific details of the UORs are being withheld, as their disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Defence: Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what urgent operational requirements are currently outstanding; and when he expects them to be delivered.

Peter Luff: As at 15 July 2011, there were 213 urgent operational requirement (UOR) projects that have been approved, and have yet to be delivered to theatre. They mainly fall into four broad categories: counter improvised explosive device systems (detection and defeating the device); improved protected mobility (for example, the foxhound vehicles); information management and information exploitation systems; and base protection intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) systems. The Ministry of Defence undertakes to deliver all UORs to theatre as quickly as possible, usually within 12-18 months, however, some procurements take only a matter of weeks.
	Specific details of the UORs and delivery time scales are being withheld as their disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the carbon dioxide emissions from his Department in (a) June 2010 and (b) June 2011.

Andrew Robathan: Between 14 May 2010 and 13 May 2011, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) delivered a reduction of 14.8% in carbon dioxide emissions from its office estate. Under the Green Government Commitments, we are now committed to deliver a 25% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2014-15.
	It is estimated that from the office estate for June 2010, MOD's non-weather corrected emissions amounted to some 4,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
	The MOD is still collating and validating its emission data for June 2011. This will include emissions from its operational estate as well as its office estate.

Departmental Manpower

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people have been (a) recruited and (b) made redundant from (i) his Department and (ii) each non-departmental body for which he is responsible since May 2010.

Andrew Robathan: In the period May 2010 to May 2011 (inclusive), a total of 1,560 new staff were recruited by the Department while a total of 520 staff left, either voluntarily or compulsorily, on grounds of early release or redundancy. It should be noted that this recruitment figure excludes inward transfers or loans from other Departments which totalled some 430. Similarly, the figure provided above for early releases and redundancies ignores the 5,610 staff who left for other reasons during the same period.
	During this period 13 staff have been recruited by the Department's non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs)—six by the National Museum of the Royal Navy and seven by the National Army Museum. There have been no redundancies among the NDPBs since May 2010.

Departmental Redundancy

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of redundancies in its non-departmental bodies (a) in 2011-12 and (b) over the comprehensive spending review period.

Andrew Robathan: The Oil and Pipelines Agency estimates that it may incur redundancy costs in the order of £40,000 to £55,000 in 2011-12. This results from management restructuring to improve the agency's operational effectiveness. The agency has no further plans, at present, for further redundancies across the comprehensive spending review period.
	There are otherwise no estimates of redundancy costs for the Ministry of Defence's non-departmental bodies as decisions on the level of staff support to be provided to them in the future have yet to be made. The current voluntary early release scheme for civilians, where applicable to non-departmental bodies, is intended to avoid the need for redundancies, the required staff reductions being achieved through early release schemes and natural wastage as far as possible.

Departmental Redundancy

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much (a) his Department and (b) each non-departmental body for which he is responsible has spent on redundancies since May 2010.

Andrew Robathan: The costs of exit packages, which include both voluntary and compulsory paid releases, appear in the Ministry of Defence (MOD)'s Annual Report and Accounts (ARA), and in the separate ARAs for the Department's Trading Funds. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence made a statement to the House on 18 July 2011, Official Report, column 70WS, publishing the MOD's ARAs for 2011.
	There have been no redundancies among the Department's non-departmental public bodies since May 2010.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many meetings he has had with hon. Members of each political party since May 2010.

Liam Fox: I meet regularly with Members of both Houses.

Departmental Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what statistical data his Department has ceased to collect in the last year; and what the (a) reasons for and (b) savings arising from each such cessation were.

Andrew Robathan: In the 12 months to 30 June 2011 the Ministry of Defence has not ceased to collect any data used in the production of national or official statistics publications.

Future Rapid Effect System

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the public purse of the Future Rapid Effect System project has been to date; what estimate he has made of the final cost; and what assessment he has made of the operational capability of vehicles fitted with such a system.

Peter Luff: The Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) programme has been recast from a single programme into a set of constituent programmes: the specialist vehicle programme (including the scout vehicle), the utility vehicle programme, and the manoeuvre support vehicle programme.
	Expenditure to 31 March 2011, the most recent date for which figures are available, for the specialist vehicles and utility vehicles programmes totals £320 million. There has been no expenditure on the manoeuvre support vehicles programme.
	The total estimated programme costs cannot be confirmed until their respective main investment decisions have been made.
	The purpose of the specialist vehicles and utility vehicles programmes is to deliver a fleet of armoured vehicles as opposed to being programmes that deliver vehicle sub-systems.

Global Combat Ship

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) India, (b) Brazil, (c) New Zealand and (d) Australia on the development of the Global Combat Ship; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: Government officials are discussing the Global Combat Ship concept with a number of potential international partners in order to explore opportunities for partnership to improve interoperability, provide benefits of technology transfer, economies of scale and reduce through-life costs.

Malaysia: Military Decorations

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the public purse has been of investigations conducted by his Department on the wearing of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia medal since 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: This information is not held.
	However, my officials, and indeed officials within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office who are the Government lead on foreign awards, have carried out a considerable amount of work on this matter since 2006, including as part of the current military medal review.

Military Decoration

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) name and (b) position is of each member of the committee of the Hydrographic Department of his Department which makes recommendations for the award of the Polar Medal.

Andrew Robathan: The Polar Medal Assessment Committee consists of a Chairman, Rear Admiral Nicholas Richard Lambert, UK National Hydrographer and Deputy Chief Executive (Hydrography), and a Secretary, Captain Stuart Lawrence MBE RD RND.

Met Office

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the public purse was of the Met Office in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and how many people the Met Office employed (a) on the most recent date for which figures are available and (b) 10 years prior to that date.

Andrew Robathan: The Met Office is a trading fund and provides weather and climate services under contract to a range of Government and commercial customers. In 2010-11, revenue from these services, including maintenance of the underpinning infrastructure, amounted to £196.1 million, of which £157.4 million was from Government customers. The Met Office returned a dividend of £8.2 million to the Ministry of Defence in relation to this period.
	There were 1,859 staff employed at the Met Office at 31 March 2011 compared with 2,114 at 31 March 2001; both figures are expressed as full-time equivalents.

Military Police

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) military personnel of each rank and (b) non-military personnel of each grade serve in the (i) Royal Military Police, (ii) Royal Air Force Police, (iii) Royal Navy Police and (iv) Service Police Crime Bureau.

Andrew Robathan: I will write to the hon. Member.
	Substantive answer from Andrew Robathan to Bridget Phillipson:
	I undertook to write to you in response to your Parliamentary Questions on 14 July 2011 (Official Report, column 431W), about numbers of military personnel and civilian staff serving in support of the Royal Military Police, Royal Air Force Police and Service Police Crime Bureau.
	I have placed details of the established strength and their associated location in the Library of the House.

National Security Adviser

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many meetings he has had with the National Security Adviser since the creation of the National Security Council.

Liam Fox: holding answer 18 July 2011
	I meet regularly with the National Security Adviser including at weekly meetings of the National Security Council and at Cabinet.
	A complete list of all such occasions is not held.

Nimrod Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the Nimrod Airworthiness Review Team report published in 1998.

Liam Fox: A copy of the report will be placed in the Library of the House once the necessary redactions have been made in accordance with usual Data Protection Act 1998 and other legislative obligations.

Old Drill Hall Weymouth

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has received legal advice on his Department's title to the Old Drill Hall, Weymouth prior to its sale by his Department.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 18 July 2011
	The sale of the Old Drill Hall Weymouth took place in 1994, at which time the Ministry of Defence took legal advice from the in-house team known as the Government Property Lawyers.

Departmental Redundancy

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest estimate is of (a) the costs of and (b) savings from his Department's redundancy programme over the next five years.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 18 July 2011
	The final costs and savings from redundancies will depend on a number of factors, including the level of natural wastage, salary, rank/grade and length of service of personnel selected. Estimates of the levels of savings can only be provided for the next four years, as planning data beyond those years do not give the sufficient level of detail.
	The current assessment is that around 11,000 service personnel will be made redundant, from the total drawdown of around 17,000, at a cost of around £600-700 million. The service redundancy programme will take place over four years, although the majority will leave the service in 2012 and 2013. The estimated savings from service personnel pay costs from as a result of all reductions (including natural wastage) is £2.4 billion over financial years 2011-12 to 2014-15, though there will be enduring savings thereafter.
	The current estimate of the cost of reducing the number of civil servants is around £580 million over three years to achieve a proportion of the 25,000 civil service personnel reductions detailed in the Strategic Defence and Security Review. The estimated savings from civilian pay costs as a result of these reductions (including early release and natural wastage) is £0.9 billion over financial years 2011-12 to 2014-15, with enduring savings thereafter.

Sri Lanka

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when his recent visit to Sri Lanka (a) started and (b) ended;
	(2)  whether any (a) Government officials and (b) special advisers were involved in the preparation or delivery of his recent visit to Sri Lanka;
	(3)  what official engagements he undertook during his visit to Sri Lanka;
	(4)  whether any of his officials accompanied him on his recent visit to Sri Lanka.

Liam Fox: holding answer 18 July 2011
	I made an official visit to Sri Lanka between 8-10 July 2011 and met with the President, the Foreign Minister, and the Minister for Economic Development; other Government of Sri Lanka Ministers and officials were present during these meetings. I also met with the Tamil National Alliance and the leader of the United National Party. Members of civil society and the international community based in Colombo attended a high commission hosted dinner, and I spoke at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Memorial Lecture.
	I was accompanied by a Private Secretary, a Special Adviser, and a representative of the Defence Media and Communications Staff. As is standard practice for such a visit, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Ministry of Defence officials including Special Advisers provided support and advice.

Nuclear Deterrent

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 29 June 2011, Official Report, column 50WS, on nuclear deterrent, whether any multilateral verification provisions have been put in place in relation to the warhead reduction programme on Vanguard class submarines.

Liam Fox: No. However, as a responsible nuclear weapon state party to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, the UK continues to pursue multilateral progress towards mutual, balanced, and verifiable reductions in nuclear weapons worldwide.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Colombia

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department provides for UK businesses operating in Colombia.

Jeremy Browne: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs’s Canning House lecture set out the case for doing more to encourage British trade and investment in Latin America. Colombia is a key emerging economy and we are strengthening our embassy in Bogota. This includes hands-on support from UK Trade & Investment for British companies looking to do business in Colombia. Our human rights officials provide advice on how to ensure that British companies can operate to the highest standards.

Pakistan

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on Pakistan.

Alistair Burt: A strong US-Pakistan relationship is in all of our interest. I speak regularly to both my US and Pakistani colleagues about our common objectives in the region whether it is fighting terrorism, pursuing an Afghan-led political settlement, or increasing access to education in Pakistan. Only yesterday I spoke to Mark Grossman, the US Special Envoy to Afghanistan.

Libya

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Libya.

Alistair Burt: It is clear that Gaddafi has lost all legitimacy and must relinquish power immediately. The pressure on him continues to intensify. We and international partners are now supporting the National Transitional Council in developing plans for a post-conflict Libya based on inclusive and democratic principles.

Libya

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the co-ordination of Government policy on Libya.

Alistair Burt: I am in constant contact with ministerial colleagues on Libya, and hold regular discussions with International Development, Defence and Treasury colleagues in particular, to ensure a comprehensive response to the key issues. Policy on Libya is also discussed formally with all relevant departments at meetings of the National Security Council.

China

Mel Stride: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the state of bilateral relations with China; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: This Government have prioritised deepening our relationship with China. The recent UK/China Summit was the third high-level exchange between our countries in the last eight months. Our trade relationship is expanding and on course to reach our target of US$100 billion by 2015, and we have established a range of dialogues with the Chinese leadership to take forward our relationship.

China

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to improve investment relations with China.

Jeremy Browne: The development of strong bilateral trade and investment links with China is a key priority for the UK Government. Currently the UK attracts the second highest flow of Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in the EU. By the end of December 2010, the estimated stock of Chinese investment into the UK was $1.2 billion. The UK ranks second to Germany as the largest European investor in China (in cumulative terms), with at least 25% of the EU total.
	During the UK-China summit on 27 June, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation on Investment Promotion was signed by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on behalf of UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), with the Ministry of Commerce of China. This will ensure that both parties will cooperate more closely to support Chinese enterprises establish and expand sustainable commercial investments in the UK, including in UK infrastructure and regeneration projects. Following the Prime Minister discussions with Premier Wen, UKTI are also looking into establishing a taskforce to take this agenda forward.

Greece

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the economic situation in Greece; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The Government receives a very wide range of advice on a number of matters concerning Greece including of course the economic situation and outlook.

Diplomatic Network

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to promote trade links through the diplomatic network.

William Hague: We are expanding our diplomatic network in emerging economies and increasing the importance of commercial diplomacy.
	We have recently published the FCO Charter for business.

Afghanistan: Criminal Proceedings

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what expenditure his Department has incurred on the Criminal Justice Taskforce Programme in Afghanistan during the last 12 months.

Alistair Burt: The Criminal Justice Task Force (CJTF) is a multi-departmental Afghan detention, investigation, prosecution and judicial team which targets the narcotics trade.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) funding for counter-narcotics and rule of law work in Afghanistan currently comes from two sources: Conflict Pool (tri-departmentally funded by FCO, Department for International Development and Ministry of Defence); and the Strategic Programme Fund.
	Spend on the CJTF from both these sources for the financial year 2010-11 was £1,502,102. This expenditure covers the running costs of the CJTF, including wages of staff, transport and administration. It also covers additional training and development of infrastructure to put the CJTF on a sustainable footing.

Bahrain: Politics and Government

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects on human rights of the sentence of Abdulhadi Al Khawaja; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We are deeply concerned by the nature of the charges brought against Mr Al Khawaja and the 20 other political figures. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs made a statement to the House of Commons on 29 June, Official  Report, columns 959-60, expressing the UK's concerns about the suspension and investigation of political parties, the imprisonment of leading moderate politicians, the alleged mistreatment of detainees and the trial of members of the medical profession before tribunals containing a military judge.
	Our outgoing ambassador to Bahrain has raised the reports of abuse in detention, lack of access, to legal counsel, coerced confessions and that civilians were being tried before a military judge.
	We continue to urge the Government of Bahrain, at the highest level, to take forward their commitment to investigate the claims of abuse. In this context, we welcome the establishment on 30 June, by His Majesty the King of an independent commission, composed of international figures, to look into the events of recent months and into allegations of abuses of human rights.

Bahrain: Politics and Government

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the statement by the Minister for the Middle East on 22 June 2011, if he made representations to the Bahraini authorities in the case of Mr Al Khawaja.

Alistair Burt: I have not made specific representations to the Government of Bahrain in the case of Mr Al Khawaja. However, we have raised our concerns about the conduct of the national safety trials with the Bahraini authorities. Most recently, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised UK concerns about the arrests of protestors and medical staff when he met the Crown Prince of Bahrain on 25 May 2011. Our outgoing ambassador to Bahrain has been raising our concerns with the Government of Bahrain, at the highest level.

BBC World Service: Finance

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost was of the BBC World Service Hindi shortwave service in 2010.

Jeremy Browne: BBC Hindi provides services via shortwave, FM, online and to mobile devices. The cost of BBC Hindi, excluding the costs of transmission and UK-based accommodation, technology and studio operations, was £1.7 million in 2010-11. It is not possible to give figures, for the excluded costs as they are used by more than one BBC World Service and an accurate break down of the cost to BBC Hindi is not available. However, according to the BBC World Service's evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee, savings associated with changes to BBC Hindi announced in January would be about £680,000 in production costs. Additionally, there would be £190,000 savings in distribution costs.

Belarus: Politics and Government

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Belarus about standards of governance in that country.

David Lidington: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and I have consistently called upon the Belarusian authorities to recognise the rule of law and democratic freedoms, free political prisoners and end human rights abuses. I have also condemned the Belarusian authorities’ disproportionate response to the recent ‘silent’ protests.

BRIC Countries

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit (a) Brazil, (b) India and (c) China in an official capacity in the next 12 months.

Jeremy Browne: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has not finalised his travel plans, but hopes to visit all three countries in the next 12 months.
	As Minister of State, I have visited China three times, Brazil twice and India once. I also hope to visit all three countries again in the next 12 months.

British Nationals Abroad: Death

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on (a) the Memorandum of Understanding on dealing with deaths of UK citizens abroad and (b) Greek non-participation in the compensation scheme.

Jeremy Browne: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) Consular officials have held discussions with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), Coroners Society of England and Wales, stakeholder groups and partners across Government about the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). These discussions have taken place under the auspices of the Death Abroad Working Group, which includes representatives from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), ACPO, Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), European RoadPeace, Coroners Society of England and Wales and Support After Murder and Manslaughter Abroad.
	(b) Consular officials in Greece raised the compensation scheme with the Greek Ministry of Justice in the summer of 2010. The Greek Ministry of Justice, in line with European Union (EU) Council Directive 2004/80/EC, has created The Hellenic Authority of Compensation. This authority considers compensation claims of victims of violent crimes committed in Greece.

British Nationals Abroad: Detainees

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2011, Official Report, column 1118W, on prisoners, how many cases of UK citizens detained without trial in other EU member states for more than 12 months have been referred to his Department for (a) consular assistance and (b) ministerial intervention in the last two years.

David Lidington: We are aware of 554 British nationals who are currently being detained at various stages of legal process in EU member states other than the UK. However, our recording system does not break down this figure further and to obtain the information requested would incur disproportionate cost.

Burma: Politics and Government

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of China regarding the conflict in Kachin state, Burma.

Jeremy Browne: The Government are deeply concerned at the breakdown of the ceasefire agreement in Kachin state which has led to renewed conflict and the displacement of up to 20,000 people. We have raised our concern at official level with the Chinese authorities. The Government are clear that countries in the region need to maintain pressure on the Burmese Government to begin a process of genuine inclusive dialogue that addresses the concerns and longstanding grievances of ethnic groups.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Peacekeeping Operations

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the UK contributed to the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) in the latest year for which figures are available; and what proportion of total expenditure on MONUSCO by UN member states this represented.

William Hague: In UK financial year 2010-11 the UK contributed £69.1 million for the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). The UK's share of UN peacekeeping costs is currently set at 8.15%.

Departmental Air Travel

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions he has flown on official business (a) by budget airline and (b) in economy class in the last 12 months.

David Lidington: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 12 November 2010, Official Report, column 508W, by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt).

Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has a policy on requirements for the provision of (a) apprenticeships and (b) other training by (i) his Department's prime contractors and (ii) suppliers in the supply chain of such contractors.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office supports the use of procurement for this purpose, but, as the majority of our expenditure is overseas, we have limited potential to develop skills and apprenticeships in the UK through contractors and their suppliers.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on hospitality for staff since May 2010.

David Lidington: This information is not held in the form requested, and is available only at disproportionate cost. Staff attend events which support FCO objectives—for example, meetings with senior political and military figures from host countries and events hosted for political and business delegations (including those in support of UK Trade and Industry). Hospitality is undertaken for business reasons, and any expenditure on business hospitality is kept under rigorous scrutiny to ensure value for money and effectiveness and is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity, Propriety and Value for Money.

Departmental Photographs

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on photoshoots and videos involving Ministers since May 2010.

Jeremy Browne: Two Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officers have been trained in photography and cover FCO events attended by Ministers at no additional cost. This was reduced to one FCO officer since December 2010.
	The FCO has also contracted through the Central Office of Information two professional video journalists since May 2010, but the costs of this are not split between ministerial and other events.

Departmental Procurement

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many procurement contracts his Department has awarded to small businesses since May 2010.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold centrally information on contracts awarded to small businesses. Procurement responsibility is devolved to directorates in London and over 260 posts overseas. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Procurement

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of procurement contracts offered by his Department have been advertised on the Contracts Finder website since the website’s inception.

David Lidington: The Department operates both in the UK and across a network of over 260 overseas posts. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has devolved procurement authorities and therefore to gather the total number of contracts could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Since the introduction of Contracts Finder in December 2010, the FCO has published two contracts with a number of others undertaking assurance checks.

Departmental Property

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many properties his Department owns or rents (a) in the UK and (b) overseas; and what the location of each is.

David Lidington: In the UK the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) owns three properties: two buildings in London and one site near Milton Keynes. The FCO rents another three properties in London, and two in central Milton Keynes. The FCO's arm’s length bodies rent their own accommodation.
	Overseas, the FCO has 5,047 properties. This includes compounds and the properties within those compounds. A more detailed breakdown of location of the properties will be deposited with the Library of the House.

Business: Regulation

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many regulations his Department has introduced (a) in the six months prior to 1 September 2010 and (b) in the six months after 1 September 2010 which it has determined do not impose costs on businesses.

David Lidington: The information requested is as follows:
	(a)My Department introduced no regulations in the six months prior to 1 September 2010. It introduced, however, four statutory instruments (please see list contained in UIN 65350, reply to (a)). They did not impose costs on businesses.
	(b) My Department has not introduced any regulatory measures in the six months after 1 September 2010 but it did introduce the following, seven statutory instruments which imposed no costs on businesses:
	The Montserrat Constitution Order 2010
	The Consular Fees (Amendment) Order 2010
	The Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution (Interim Amendment) (Amendment) Order 2010
	The Geneva Conventions (Overseas Territories) Order 2010
	The Iran (United Nations Sanctions) (Amendment) Order 2010
	The Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) (Amendment) Order 2010
	The Legislative Reform (Civil Partnership) Order 2010.
	The Consular Fees (Amendment) Order 2010 and the Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) (Amendment) Order 2010 have a minor impact on business in the case of the first Order and a minimal impact (largely minor changes in procedure) on businesses in the case of the second Order.

Business: Regulation

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many regulations that impose costs on businesses his Department has (a) introduced and (b) removed since 1 September 2010; what the net effect on the costs on businesses of such introductions and removals was; and what regulations have been excluded from the one-in one-out system because they address (i) emergencies and (ii) systemic financial risks since 1 September 2010.

David Lidington: The information is as follows:
	(a) My Department has introduced no regulations since 1 September 2010, but it did introduce the following 18 statutory instruments, none of which imposed costs on businesses, in addition to the seven listed in the reply to UIN 65316 (b)
	The Consular Fees Order 2011
	The Tunisia (Restrictive Measures) (Overseas Territories) Order 2011
	The European Union (Definition of Treaties) (Partnership and Co-operation Agreement) (Republic of Indonesia) Order 2011
	The European Union (Definition of Treaties) (Stabilisation and Association Agreement) (Republic of Serbia) Order 2011
	The Libya (Restrictive Measures) (Overseas Territories) Order 2011
	The Treaty of Lisbon (Changes on Terminology) Order 2011
	The Irish Sailors and Soldiers Land Trust Act (Dissolution) Order 2011
	The Child Abduction and Custody (Parties to Conventions) (Amendment) (No 2) Order 2011
	The Terrorist Asset-Freezing etc Act 2010 (Overseas Territories) Order 2011
	The Overseas Territories (Change of Name) Order 2011
	The Overseas Territories (Change of Name) (No 2) Order 2011
	The Overseas Territories (Change of Name) (No 3) Order 2011
	The Overseas Territories (Change of Name) (No 4) Order 2011
	The Overseas Territories (Change of Name) (No 5) Order 2011
	The Egypt (Restrictive Measures) (Overseas Territories) Order 2011
	The Syria (Restrictive Measures) (Overseas Territories) Order 2011
	The International Criminal Court (Libya) Order 2011
	The Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order 2011
	(b) No regulations imposing costs on businesses have been removed in this period by my Department.
	The following statutory instruments were, however, removed:
	The Consular Fees (Amendment) Order 2010 (please see reply to PQ 65316)
	The Child Abduction and Custody (Parties to Conventions) (Amendment) Order 2011
	There was no net effect on the costs of businesses of such introductions and removals and no regulations have been excluded from the One-in, One-out regulatory management system.

Business: Regulation

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many regulations that impose costs on businesses his Department (a) introduced and (b) removed in the six months prior to 1 September 2010; and what the net effect on the costs on businesses of such introductions and removals was.

David Lidington: The information is as follows:
	(a) No regulations imposing costs on businesses were introduced by my Department in the six months prior to 1 September 2010. For information, my Department introduced no regulations in this period but it made the following, four statutory instruments, none of which imposed costs on businesses:
	The European Union (Definition of Treaties) (Stabilisation and Association Agreement) (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Order 2010
	The Uzbekistan (Restrictive Measures) (Overseas Territories) (Revocation) Order 2010
	The International Criminal Court Act 2001 (Overseas Territories) (Amendment) Order 2010
	The Geneva Conventions and United Nations Personnel (Protocols) Act 2009 (Commencement No 2) Order 2010
	(b) In the six months prior to 1 September 2010, my Department did not remove any regulations.
	There was no net effect on the costs of businesses as a result of statutory instruments introduced or removed in this period.

Business: Regulation

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what process his Department follows for the production of regulatory guidance; and how many officials of his Department were involved in the production of such guidance on the last date for which figures are available.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not normally introduce regulations or regulatory guidance.

Departmental Responsibilities

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to change his Department's administrative structure.

Jeremy Browne: Yes. In line with the Ministerial Code and the new Code of Corporate Governance, we are in the process of setting up a new Supervisory Board, which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs will chair.
	This new board will sit above our existing Management Board, which is chaired by the Permanent Under-Secretary. Its primary role will be to monitor the performance and capability of the Department in achieving the objectives in our Business Plan. It will have roughly equal membership of Ministers, officials and non executives. We anticipate that this Board will hold its first meeting after the summer, once we confirm the appointment of a lead non executive board member.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings he has had with hon. Members of each political party since May 2010.

David Lidington: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs meets members of all parties on a regular basis.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will consider keeping data on the number of times (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have declined a request for a meeting from an hon. Member of each political party.

David Lidington: Ministers and officials receive a large number of invitations from all sources, and we do not consider that a system to record reasons for declining invitations to meet would be value for money or worthwhile.

Departmental Training

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on training for Ministers since May 2010; and what the purpose of the training was in each case.

Henry Bellingham: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers attended the Ministerial Induction course run by the National School of Government at no cost to the office. Training is available to Ministers in order to carry out their duties effectively under the Ministerial Code. Details of training made available to Government Ministers by the National School of Government can be found at:
	www.nationalschool.gov.uk/policy/MinisterialProgramme/Offer.asp

Embassies: Operating Costs

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what proportion of the running costs of British embassies and high commissions was attributable to (a) rental or housing allowance and (b) maintenance of properties in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how much his Department has spent on the running costs of British embassies and High Commissions in the last two years.

David Lidington: The net cost of running our network of over 260 British embassies and high commissions are as follows:
	2009-10: £783,557,669
	2008-09: £777,099,364.
	Running costs consists of salaries, central overheads other direct costs, and programme spend.
	The FCO is committed to reducing costs across the network and has committed to removing bureaucracy.

European Parliament

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on ending sittings of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

David Lidington: The UK Government's position on the site of the European Parliament is well known from the coalition programme for Government. We raise this issue with EU colleagues as appropriate.
	Members of the European Parliament are also considering this issue. On 9 March 2011, they voted in favour of an amendment to the 2012-13 Strasbourg calendar seeking to reduce the number of sessions by one, through combining two autumn sessions. France and Luxembourg have challenged this decision at the European Court of Justice.

Falkland Islands: Shipping

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met his Argentinian counterpart to discuss shipping links between the Falklands and South America.

Jeremy Browne: There are no direct shipping links between Argentina and the Falkland Islands. The Government have not discussed with Argentina the shipping links that exist between the Falkland Islands and other South American ports.
	In early 2010, Argentina introduced a presidential decree that aimed to restrict maritime movements to and from the Falkland Islands through Argentine waters. The Government have firmly protested and rejected the decree as not compliant with international law.

Ilois: Resettlement

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the outcome of Al-Skeini v UK at the European Court of Human Rights, what consideration he is giving to withdrawing from the Chagos Islanders v UK case; what consideration he has given to an out-of-court settlement; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: We will continue to contest the case brought by a group of Chagos Islanders before the European Court of Human Rights. The Government believe the arguments against allowing resettlement on the grounds of feasibility and defence security are clear and compelling. We do not consider there to be a case for paying further compensation to the applicants as part of a settlement.

India: Commonwealth Games

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received any request from Satellite Information Services for assistance in the recovery from the Indian Government of any sums owing to that company following its broadcast of the 2010 Commonwealth Games; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: The Government are aware of the difficulties that Satellite Information Services and other British companies have had in receiving payment for services provided during the Commonwealth Games. We have raised our concerns with the Indian Government at ministerial level and officials in our high commission in Delhi are in regular touch with senior officials across the many different Ministries involved to try and seek a resolution.

Indonesia: Religious Freedom

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on religious freedom in Indonesia.

Jeremy Browne: Our embassy in Jakarta monitors the situation on freedom of religion closely.
	At the UK’s request, freedom of religion was included as a substantive item during the two EU-Indonesia Human Rights Dialogues which have taken place so far. The EU noted Indonesia’s efforts in promoting interfaith dialogue and raised concerns over—in particular—the persecution of the Ahmadiyya community and recent attacks on Christians.

Latin America: Embassies

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had on the future operations of UK embassies and consulates in (a) Latin America, (b) Central America and (c) the Caribbean.

Jeremy Browne: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs announced details of the Network Shift to the House on 11 May 2011, Official Report, column 1165. We are increasing our overall diplomatic presence; maintaining all our embassies and high commissions in Latin America and the Caribbean; and opening a new embassy in San Salvador, El Salvador and a new consulate in Recife and Brazil.
	The UK’s operations in the Americas will be developed further by a new network of prosperity officers who are currently being recruited. These new officers will operate from our missions in Bogota, Buenos Aires, Lima, Mexico City, Panama City, Rio, Santiago and Sao Paulo.

Montserrat: Volcanoes

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the potential threat from volcanoes in Montserrat.

Jeremy Browne: The Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) continuously monitors the Soufrière Hills Volcano to provide timely advice to the authorities in order to reduce the impact of volcanic activity on the population of Montserrat. The MVO currently reports that volcanic activity is at a low level (hazard level 3). Weekly assessments are published on the MVO website:
	www.mvo.ms
	The MVO works closely with a Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to monitor the threat posed by the volcano. The SAC last visited Montserrat from 15 to 17 November 2010. It reported the volcano was in a paused state and that the general level of expected risk to the people of Montserrat for the next 12 months had fallen compared to March 2010. The SAC's full report is also available on the MVO website.

National Security Council

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings he has had with the National Security Adviser since his appointment.

David Lidington: Ministers meet the National Security Adviser frequently during the normal course of business.

National Security Council

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role and responsibilities he has in relation to the National Security Council; and what recent contribution he has made to its work.

William Hague: I am a member of the National Security Council and I take an active role in all its discussions and decision-making. As Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, I am responsible for all the papers which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office submits for consideration by the National Security Council, and take a close interest in their preparation.

Pakistan: Politics and Government

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of (a) levels of corruption and (b) political stability in Pakistan.

Alistair Burt: The Government routinely monitor reporting on the nature and extent of corruption in Pakistan and works with the Government of Pakistan, International Partners and civil society organisations to promote accountability and transparency.
	Pakistan is currently dealing with major domestic challenges, including how to: tackle a large militant insurgency in its border regions; achieve democratic and economic reform; and recover from the aftermath of last year's devastating floods as well as dealing with the repercussions of the death of Osama bin Laden. We offer Pakistan our full support in facing these challenges.
	A stable, prosperous and democratic Pakistan, at ease with its regional neighbours and equipped with the will and capacity to tackle violent extremism, is of direct and critical importance to the security of the UK and its interests. Ministers and senior officials engage regularly at a senior level with Pakistani interlocutors from all parties to highlight the importance of democratic and economic stability for Pakistan.
	I and my colleagues continue to seek progress on these issues from the Pakistani Government.

Peru: Mining

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Peruvian counterpart on corporate social responsibility in the extractive sector.

Jeremy Browne: Discussions on this issue are a regular feature of our official level dialogue with Peru. I intend to discuss issues relating to the extractive sector when I attend the presidential inauguration in Peru on 28 July.
	The UK Government are committed to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, and to the UN Guiding Principles on business and human rights. We encourage all British companies wherever they operate, to observe these international standards, as since responsible businesses contribute to respect and support for human rights.
	Our embassy in Lima is actively engaged in the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights Implementation Group. The group is assisting and encouraging the Peruvian Government to join the Voluntary Principles. The Voluntary Principles guide extractive industry companies in maintaining the safety and security of their operations within an operating framework that ensures, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Republic of Ireland: Commonwealth

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had discussions with his Irish counterpart on the Republic of Ireland joining the Commonwealth.

David Lidington: The Republic of Ireland's interest in rejoining the Commonwealth is a matter for the Irish Government and the wider Commonwealth membership. The UK Government have had no discussions with the Irish Government on this issue.

Sri Lanka

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he was informed in advance of the plans of the Secretary of State for Defence to visit Sri Lanka.

Alistair Burt: The visit undertaken by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence was official. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs fully supported the visit.

Sri Lanka

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he expects any changes to UK policy towards Sri Lanka to arise from the Secretary of State for Defence's recent visit to that country.

Alistair Burt: The visit to Sri Lanka by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence supported UK policy on Sri Lanka. He was able to deliver the Government's views to the Sri Lankan Government on the need for accountability for alleged war crimes and build on the visit I undertook to Sri Lanka in February 2011.

Third Sector

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which charities and voluntary organisations Ministers in his Department have visited since 12 May 2010.

David Lidington: Ministers carry out their duties in accordance with the Ministerial Code. Any charitable activities in a personal capacity are a private matter for them. Relevant interests are published by the Cabinet Office in the List of Ministers’ Interests at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/list-ministers-interests

Tibet: Human Rights

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Chinese government on the subject of human rights in Tibet.

Jeremy Browne: I raised our concerns about human rights in China, during my visit in June. I also raised our specific concerns about human rights in Tibet with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Special Representative on Human Rights at the 19(th) Round of the UK-China human rights dialogue in January 2011.
	The UK-China human rights dialogue also included an expert workshop on minority rights and languages, an area of particular relevance to Tibet. British embassy officials in China have recently made visits to Tibetan areas and continue to monitor the situation.
	We are also deeply concerned by reports of violence at the Kirti Monastery in a Tibetan area of Sichuan Province. I wrote to the Chinese Ambassador on 3 May raising our concerns at recent human rights developments in China, including the situation at Kirti Monastery.
	Officials have also raised these concerns with both the Chinese embassy in London and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, asking for information and calling for restraint.

Visits Abroad

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Prime Minister concerning private visits made by Government Ministers to meet representatives of foreign Governments.

David Lidington: We do not comment on internal conversations between members of the Government.

West Papua

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Indonesian counterpart on the situation in West Papua.

Jeremy Browne: We regularly raise UK public and parliamentary concern at the situation in Papua with the Indonesian Government at ministerial and official level. In addition, our officials regularly visit the region—the next visit is scheduled for 2 August—and we voice our concerns when appropriate. The UK has also participated fully in the EU-Indonesia Human Rights dialogues. At the most recent dialogue which took place on 9 March 2011 in Brussels, the EU raised continuing concerns at the situation in the Papuan provinces and underscored the need for accountability.
	The UK encourages dialogue between all parties, and remains committed to encouraging all levels of government to work with the Papuans towards solving their regional governance disputes peacefully. We welcome the organisation of a Papuan Peace Conference in Jayapura from 5 to 7 July and have long encouraged all parties to engage in meaningful dialogue to resolve their differences. Our priority for the provinces of Papua and West Papua is to encourage full implementation of special autonomy for these provinces and to press for increased focus on meaningful economic and social development to address the widespread poverty in the region.
	While concerns remain we welcome progress that has been made in respect for both human rights and governance in the region.

CABINET OFFICE

Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department has a policy on requirements for the provision of (a) apprenticeships and (b) other training by (i) his Department's prime contractors and (ii) suppliers in the supply chain of such contractors.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office expects its suppliers and supply chain partners to deploy capable staff on contracts servicing our needs. Our procurement processes include relevant checks on supplier capability. It is for suppliers themselves to decide their training and apprenticeship requirements.

Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with his Department in each of the last three years.

Francis Maude: Among the Cabinet Office's major contractors, the number of apprenticeships created were two in 2008-09, two in 2009-10 and three in 2010-11.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the carbon dioxide emissions from (a) his Department and (b) 10 Downing Street in (i) June 2010 and (ii) June 2011.

Francis Maude: The estimated carbon emissions from the Cabinet Office as a whole and 10 Downing street in June 2010 and June 2011 are shown in the following table. These figures have not been weather-corrected.
	
		
			 Carbon emissions 
			 Tonnes 
			  June 2010 June 2011 
			 Total Cabinet Office 522.6 446.1 
			 10 Downing street 52.2 46.6

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2011, Official Report, column 1018W, on departmental carbon emissions, if he will assess the feasibility of low-carbon energy generation on his Department's estate.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office is presently undergoing an estate rationalisation programme which will result in its concentration into two buildings: 70 Whitehall/Downing street and 1 Horseguards road.
	A low-carbon energy generation feasibility study was undertaken at the Department's building at 70 Whitehall in September 2008. The study considered options for renewable energy generation such as wind turbines, photovoltaic panels and the installation of biomass heating. Financial considerations as well as restrictions arising due to the building's grade 1 listed status meant that none of the proposals presented were feasible.
	The Cabinet Office will seek to work with the other occupiers at 1 Horseguards road to assess possible future low-carbon energy generation options.

Departmental Procurement

John Denham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the annual value is of his Department's current contracts in each sector in which contracts are held.

Francis Maude: Spend is only categorised by sector on a retrospective basis at the end of each financial year and is not available in real time. The information is therefore available only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Redundancy

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department has spent on redundancy costs since May 2010.

Francis Maude: I refer the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Wokingham (Mr Redwood) on 18 July 2011, Official Report, column 667W.

Regulation: Guidance

Julian Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what process his Department follows for the production of regulatory guidance; and how many officials of his Department were involved in the production of such guidance on the last date for which figures are available.

Francis Maude: Cabinet Office has not introduced any new regulation in the last 12 months. No officials are dedicated to the production of guidance, any guidance required is drafted alongside the preparation of the regulations to which it relates and, as such, it is not possible to distinguish the resource used in preparing guidance from the resource used to prepare the regulation.
	Cabinet Office prepares its guidance in accordance with the BIS Code of Practice "Code of Practice on Guidance on Regulation":
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/better-regulation/code-of-practice-on-guidance-on-regulation
	and with reference to the Better Regulation website:
	http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/laver?r.l1=1079717544&r.lc=en&r.l2=1079840861&topicld =1084828139&furlname=betterregulation&furlparam=betterr egulation&ref=http%3A//www.bis.gov.uk/policies/better-regulation/code-of-practice-on-guidance-on-regulation&domain=businesslink.gov.uk

Departmental Training

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department has spent on training for Ministers since May 2010; and what the purpose of the training was in each case.

Francis Maude: Since May 2010 Cabinet Office Ministers have not received any training at a cost to the Department.

Employment: Visual Impairment

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of working age (a) blind and (b) partially-sighted people in each nation of the UK are (i) employed, (ii) unemployed and seeking work and (iii) unemployed and inactive.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what percentage of working age (a) blind and (b) partially-sighted people in each nation of the UK are (i) employed, (ii) unemployed and seeking work and (ii) unemployed and inactive. 67128
	The available information is provided in the attached table. The estimates are derived from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and are for all those who reported that they had difficulty in seeing (including while wearing spectacles or contact lenses). Separate estimates for blind and partially-sighted are not available.
	Estimates for Northern Ireland have not been provided because the relatively small sample size there means the estimates are too unreliable and, also, rules on confidentiality would have been breached.
	The official, internationally agreed definitions of labour market status have been applied in this answer. Consequently, “unemployed and seeking work” is treated as “unemployed” and “unemployed and inactive” is treated as “economically inactive”.
	Statistics published in the monthly Labour Market Statistical Bulletin previously described as working age (men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59) have now been replaced with statistics based on those aged 16-64 for both men and women. Consequently, the estimates provided are on this basis.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			 Percentage of people aged 16 to 64 who have difficulty in seeing, by labour market status, average for January to December 2010 
			 Percentage 
			  In employment Unemployed Economically inactive 
			 England 39 5 56 
			 Wales 29 2 69 
			 Scotland 33 4 63 
			 Source: Annual Population Survey.

Government Departments: Advertising

Stephen Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much the Government spent on advertising in (a) The Sun, (b) The Times, (c) the News of the World and (d) The Sunday Times (i) in each financial year since 2005-06 and (ii) 2011-12 to date.

Francis Maude: Information on Government spend on advertising in News International titles through the Central Office of Information (COI) for the financial years 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 is listed in the following tables:
	
		
			 The Sun and News of the World 
			 £ 
			  April 2005 – March 2006 April 2006 – March 2007 April 2007 – March 2008 April 2008 – March 2009 April 2009 – March 2010 
			 The Sun 3,055,253 2,688,068 2,251,627 4,634,884 4,504,693 
			 News of the World 1,466,490 741,230 1,356,885 2,039,424 1,813,527 
			 Supplements:      
			 Sunday TV Magazine 0 126,000 9,000 227,290 144,355 
			 News of the World TV 23,0.00 48,000 16,000 0 0 
			 News of the World Fabulous 0 0 73,700 264,675 318,734 
		
	
	
		
			 News of the World Sunday 569,500 301,226 74,776 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			 The Times and The Sunday Times 
			 £ 
			  April 2005 – March 2006 April 2006 – March 2007 April 2007 – March 2008 April 2008 – March 2009 April 2009 – March 2010 
			 The Times 728,290 854,023 953,309 899,991 1,067,582 
			 The Sunday Times 1,006,528 612,299 1,284,970 1,176,568 1,386,060 
			 Supplements:      
			 The Times Magazine 110,100 114,500 35,000 129,431 35,750 
			 Sunday Times Culture 0 66,000 11,000 0 0 
			 The Times Knowledge 32,300 0 3,000 0 0 
			 The Sunday Times Magazine 180,143 182,481 116,950 204,100 102,000 
			 Sunday Times Driving 0 64,728 0 0 0 
			 The London Paper 0 55,021 148,557 167,015 73,776 
		
	
	These figures detailed as follows show Government spend on advertising in News International titles through COI for the financial years 2010-11 and 2011-12. These figures have not yet been fully audited.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Title April 2010 – March 2011 
			 The Sun 427,120 
			 News of the World 113,213 
			 Sunday TV Magazine 0 
			 New of the World TV 0 
			 New of the World Fabulous 23,100 
			 News of the World Sunday 0 
		
	
	
		
			 £ 
			 Title April 2010 – March 2011 
			 The Times 215,760 
			 The Sunday Times 97,960 
			 The Times Magazine 0 
			 Sunday Times Culture 0 
			 The Times Knowledge 0 
			 The Sunday Times Magazine 0 
			 Sunday Times Driving 0 
			 The London Paper 0 
		
	
	
		
			 £ 
			 Title April 2011 – March 2012 
			 The Times 5,500 
			 The Sunday Times 26,640

Government Departments: Advertising

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much the Government and their Executive agencies spent on advertising in each News International newspaper title in the period between 1 July 2010 and 30 June 2011.

Francis Maude: The total amount spent on advertising campaigns with News International newspaper titles by Government and their Executive agencies is not held centrally.
	The figures detailed in the table show Government spend on advertising in News International titles made through the central Office of Information (COI) between 1 July 2010 and 30 June 2011. These figures have not yet been fully audited.
	
		
			  £ 
			 The Sun 418,308 
			 News of The World 113,213 
			 Times 107,215 
			 Sunday Times 124,600 
			   
			 Supplements:  
			 News of the World —Fabulous magazine 22,900

Government Departments: Electric Vehicles

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what consideration he has given to proposing the installation of charging points for electric vehicles across the central Government estate.

Francis Maude: Departments have adopted a range of energy efficient vehicles to improve efficiency and achieve their carbon reduction commitments. It is for each Department to decide on a cost effective basis the development of any infrastructure upon their estate to support the operation of their fleet.

Lord Macdonald of River Glaven

Helen Goodman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether Lord Macdonald of River Glaven required clearance from the Business Appointments Committee for his work at News International.

Francis Maude: As I made clear in my answer of 12 July 2011, Official Report, column 262W, civil servants employed by the Crown Prosecution Service are subject to the requirements of the business appointment rules for two years after leaving office.
	Lord MacDonald left the post of Director of Public Prosecutions on 31 October 2008. I understand his work for News International commenced in May 2011 and was therefore outside the scope of the rules’ two-year period.

Public Services: Private Sector

Nick Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2011, Official Report, column 1080W, on public services: private sector, what plans he has for monitoring the business models of companies providing key public services.

Oliver Letwin: The Open Public Services White Paper set out our principles for ensuring the continuity of public services. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury and I will be working with colleagues to develop continuity regimes based on these principles over the next few months.

Skin Cancer

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many cases of skin cancer were diagnosed in each (a) primary care trust and (b) cancer network in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many cases of skin cancers were diagnosed in each (a) primary care trust and (b) cancer network in each of the last 10 years.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of skin cancer (incidence) are for the year 2008. Please note that these numbers may not be the same as the number of people diagnosed with cancer, because one person may be diagnosed with more than one cancer.
	The tables provide the number of newly diagnosed cases of melanoma skin cancer in each (a) primary care organisation (Table 1) and (b) cancer network (Table 2) in England for each year from 1999 to 2008.
	Numbers of cases of non-melanoma skin cancer are not collected centrally.
	Copies of Tables 1 and 2 have been placed in the House of Commons library.
	The latest published figures on the incidence of cancer in England are available on the National Statistics website at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/mb1-39/mb1-no39-2008.pdf

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Alternative Vote: Referendums

Jim Shannon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the value for money of the referendum on the alternative vote.

Mark Harper: The referendum on the voting system was important in enabling people to have their say on whether a new voting system should be adopted. The Government took steps to reduce costs where possible, for example, by combining the referendum with the devolved and local government elections, which saved an estimated £30 million across all the polls held on 5 May.
	The Electoral Commission is responsible for accounting for the funds which were allocated for the referendum, and has assured us that value for money will be taken into account when assessing individual claims. We will make an overall assessment on the cost of the referendum, and whether there are further opportunities for providing value for money in such polls once all claims from regional counting officers and counting officers for the conduct of the poll have been submitted to the Electoral Commission and settled.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Chris Bryant: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Department has spent on hospitality for staff since May 2010.

Nicholas Clegg: My private office has spent £30.64 on official hospitality for staff since May 2010.

Ministerial Meetings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many meetings he has had with hon. Members of each political party since May 2010.

Nicholas Clegg: I regularly meet with parliamentary colleagues from all political parties in the course of Government business. However, the information requested, could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Elections: Armed Forces

Aidan Burley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is on the Electoral Commission’s recommendation that the electoral timetable should be extended to support participation by overseas and service voters.

Mark Harper: I announced in a written ministerial statement to the House of Commons on 13 July 2011, Official Report, columns 24-25WS, that the Government had published draft legislation on three electoral administration provisions for pre-legislative scrutiny. This included provisions which extend the timetable for UK parliamentary elections from 17 to 25 days, which will help to support the participation of overseas and service voters in UK elections. The draft legislation addresses particular issues that have been raised by MPs and peers, and by others, including the Electoral Commission.

National Assembly for Wales: Elections

Paul Murphy: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the First Minister of Wales regarding the electoral arrangements of the National Assembly for Wales.

Nicholas Clegg: I regularly speak to the First Minister for Wales on a wide range of issues in the course of Government business.

Third Sector

Chris Bryant: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which charities and voluntary organisations he has visited since 12 May 2010.

Nicholas Clegg: Details of my meetings with external organisations, including charities and voluntary organisations, are published quarterly on:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk

JUSTICE

Bill of Rights Commission: European Court of Human Rights

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which members of the Bill of Rights Commission visited the European Court of Human Rights on 5 July 2011; what matters were discussed; and what the costs were to the public purse.

Jonathan Djanogly: Eight members of the Commission on a Bill of Rights visited the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg on 4 and 5 July 2011. Discussions that took place on this visit are a matter for the Commission.
	A total figure for the precise cost of the visit is not yet available. I will write to the hon. Member with this information once it is available and a copy of the letter will be placed in the House Library.

Sky TV

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on subscriptions to Sky TV since May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Department's central records show no recorded information on subscription payments to Sky TV.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what advice his Department has received from the Insolvency Service on reform of civil litigation funding and costs for insolvency cases.

Jonathan Djanogly: As I stated in my answer on 15 June 2011, Official Report, column 835W, the Insolvency Service provided a response to the consultation 'Reforming Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales—Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations'. Ministry of Justice officials are in ongoing contact with officials at the Insolvency Service regarding the impact of the reforms on insolvency proceedings.

Defamation: Conditional Fee Agreements

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will delay his decision to cap no win, no fee conditional fee agreements for cases involving the publication of libel by newspaper organisations until the Government's inquiry into the ethics and practices of the media has reported.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill includes provisions to implement fundamental reforms to how no win no fee conditional fee agreements operate across all categories of civil litigation, for both claimants and defendants. Under our proposals, claimants in libel cases would still be able to bring claims under no win no fee agreements. The Bill is now before the Public Bill Committee for scrutiny. The Government are not minded to delay the reforms to no win no fee agreements in respect of libel cases, which are intended to make the costs of civil litigation more proportionate.

Departmental Lost Property

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what property has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost of replacement was;

Crispin Blunt: The latest figures show that the following items were lost or stolen from the Department's premises in the past year:
	43 personal computers; 14 laptops; 12 BlackBerry cell phones; 26 RSA secure ID tokens; 15 BeCrypt encryption tokens and five items of removable media.
	The following items were lost or stolen while outside the Departments premises:
	1 PC; 40 laptops; 53 BlackBerrys; 52 RSA tokens; 39 BeCrypt tokens and 25 items of removable media.
	Losses of other equipment, such as mobile telephones and the cost of replacing individual items are not recorded centrally. This information is kept at a local level and can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. Central data do not distinguish between loss and theft, nor provide an indication of recovery.
	The above excludes losses from HM Prison Service stores. This information will shortly be published in the Department's annual resource accounts, which are currently being finalised.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on hospitality for staff since May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: Information on total hospitality expenditure is reflected in a broader category of account. We do not hold a further breakdown of these costs showing specific costs relating to staff.
	The Department has strict controls in place to control hospitality expenditure.

Departmental Photographs

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on ministerial (a) photoshoots and (b) videos since May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry has not incurred any cost for ministerial photographs or videos since May 2010.
	Since August 2009, the Ministry of Justice has the capability to provide photography and video production in-house.

Departmental Procurement

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the annual value is of his Department's current contracts in each sector in which contracts are held.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice current contracts and annual values are in the following table:
	
		
			 Annual contract value 
			 Sectors £ 
			 Business travel 27,345,417 
			 Fleet 9,501,292 
			 Radios 2,760,806 
			 Clinical and medical 750,000 
			 Industries 50,000 
			 PECS(1) 147,857,181.00 
			 Electronic monitoring 121,000,000.00 
			 BASS 9,000,000.00 
			 Private prison contracts 339,800,000.00 
			 Financial services 5,895,287 
			 Translations 1,049,000 
			 Operational goods 50,038,887.88 
			 Office solutions 16,888,901 
			 HR services 15,702,000 
			 Financial services 5,895,287 
			 Estates professional services 38,749,225.00 
			 Facilities management—hard and soft services (3)130,923,684.08 
			 Waste management 2,745,680.00 
			 Minor works 50,000,000.00 
			 Estates professional services 38,749,225.00 
			 Professional Services temporary staff(2) 41,700,000.00 
			 Construction 154,884,761 
			 Estates consultancy 19,115,944 
			 Global sourcing and industries 27,511,000 
			 Utilities 41,722,000 
			 Prisoner retail 50,000,000 
			 Resettlement 95,079,300 
			 Food and catering 73,958,000 
			 ICT 431,193,854.00 
			 (1) Including inter-prison transfers(.) (2) Interims, clerical agency and ancillary. (3) Including cleaning and security guarding.

Departmental Procurement

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many procurement contracts his Department has awarded to small businesses since May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) did not hold centrally information regarding the procurement of goods or services from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) prior to April 2011. This information can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost to the Department, by a number of staff manually reviewing large volumes of records.
	Following the development of the MOJ's SME action plan this information is now recorded. Between 1 April 2011 and 30 June 2011 87 contracts were awarded to SMEs.

Departmental Procurement

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of procurement contracts offered by his Department have been advertised on the Contracts Finder website since the website's inception.

Jonathan Djanogly: Since 1 April 2011 (when Departments were required to advertise ‘live’ opportunities on Contracts Finder), 100% of the Ministry of Justice's contract opportunities above £10,000 that are subject to open competition have been submitted for publication on Contracts Finder.

Departmental Redundancy

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on redundancy costs since May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: There have been no compulsory redundancies since May 2010, therefore there are no costs.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many meetings he has had with hon. Members of each political party since May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: My right hon. and learned Friend Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice regularly meets hon. Members of the House in the course of his ministerial and constituency duties. Due to the large number of meetings he attends which involve hon. Members, the work involved in searching records to assemble this information would exceed the cost limit for answering PQs.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will consider keeping data on the number of times (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have declined a request for a meeting from an hon. Member of each political party.

Jonathan Djanogly: My right hon. and learned Friend Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice seeks to accommodate requests to meet with hon. Members of the House wherever possible and appropriate. Due to the variety of means by which meeting requests are made, both formally and informally, we do not believe it would be practical to centrally record instances where a meeting request may have been declined.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions a request for a meeting by an hon. Member of each political party was refused by (a) a Minister in his Department directly and (b) his Department on behalf of a Minister in November 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: Ministers in the Ministry of Justice seek to accommodate requests to meet with hon. Members of the House wherever possible and appropriate. The Ministry of Justice does not centrally record instances where meeting requests have been declined, and the work involved in searching records to attempt to assemble this information would exceed the cost limit for answering PQs.

Departmental Training

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on training for Ministers since May 2010; and what the purpose was of such training.

Jonathan Djanogly: Since May 2010, the Ministry of Justice has spent £4,000 on training for Ministers.
	One Minister completed a workshop on ‘Finance in Government’. In addition, three Ministers completed media training, designed to assist Ministers in clearly communicating the work of the Ministry of Justice to the public.
	No other training has been provided for Ministers.

Employment Tribunals Service

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the potential of early neutral evaluation as a method of alternative dispute resolution in employment tribunal claims.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Government are committed to encouraging the public to resolve their issues out of court without recourse to public funds, using simpler, more informal remedies where they are appropriate. In this context, my Department is working to develop proposals to promote wider use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) across the courts and tribunals system.
	Insofar as employment tribunals are concerned, and given the unique position of ACAS in the employment dispute resolution system, ADR is already embedded as a central feature of the process. The Pre Claim Conciliation scheme run by ACAS allows parties to engage in ADR before claims are even lodged with a tribunal. The Government’s consultation paper “Resolving Workplace Disputes” sets out how we intend to build on our experience in this area.
	However, it is generally accepted that there will be cases which reach the tribunal but have little or no prospect of success. Identifying these cases at an early stage helps tribunals to allocate resources more effectively. There are already wide-ranging powers for employment judges to case manage proceedings from an early stage. These include holding interim hearings to consider the relevant issues involved. Tribunals have the power to make deposit orders where a claim/response has little reasonable prospect of success; and ultimately to strike out any claim/response which has no reasonable prospect of success. Again, the “Resolving Workplace Disputes” consultation considers how these powers could be made more effective.
	In the tribunals system more widely, we have considered early neutral evaluation (ENE) techniques, alongside others. Given the findings from pilot exercises, there was no clear case for onward consideration of ENE specifically. However, we have been able to apply lessons learned to good effect and we are considering how increased use of ADR could be further encouraged across the civil, family and administrative justice system.

Employment Tribunals Service

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment his Department has made of non-payment of employment tribunal awards since 2009.

Jonathan Djanogly: While Employment Tribunals collate, and HMCTS regularly publishes, data on awards made, no data are collected on whether those awards are satisfied in individual cases. This is largely because of the difficulties in collecting any reliable data, particularly in the scenario where judgment creditors receive payment but then (understandably) fail to report that fact to the tribunal after the end of their case. In any event, once an award has been given, it falls to the claimant to enforce that award using the civil courts should they so wish.
	In order to assist with the commencement of the enforcement process, the Ministry of Justice introduced, in April 2010, the ACAS and Employment Tribunal Fast Track. The Fast Track enables the claimant to have a High Court Enforcement Officer (HCEO) appointed to their case as soon as the respondent has defaulted in payment of the award. The HCEO will then take forward the enforcement process on behalf of the claimant.
	In the first year, 1,495 unpaid employment tribunal awards have been issued using the Fast Track, resulting in 42.5% of those unpaid awards being fully recovered.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the start-up costs, including information technology costs, of a system to collect fees in the employment tribunal system;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely ongoing costs of introducing collection of fees in the employment tribunal system (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of estimated fee income;
	(3)  what (a) waivers and (b) other arrangements he proposes to introduce to ensure access to justice for vulnerable people should fees for employment tribunals be introduced;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the likely effects on access to justice for disadvantaged groups of the introduction of fees for employment tribunals.

Jonathan Djanogly: We are in the process of developing proposals for the introduction of fees into the employment tribunals and Employment Appeal Tribunal and options are still being finalised. We will be consulting on our proposals later in the year.

Legal Aid Scheme: Negligence

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the capacity of parents to pay for initial expert reports necessary prior to obtaining after-the-event insurance in clinical negligence litigation in respect of their children.

Jonathan Djanogly: After-the-event insurance premiums can cover the cost of initial expert reports in clinical negligence cases funded under conditional fee agreements currently, and there is no reason why this should not continue once the Government’s reforms are implemented.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter of 6 June 2011 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms Sahar Safdar.

Jonathan Djanogly: My right hon. and learned Friend Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice replied on 6 July. We apologise for the delay. A copy of his reply has been sent to the right hon. Member’s office.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter of 7 June 2011 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr J W Hargreaves.

Jonathan Djanogly: My right hon. and learned Friend Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice replied on 18 July. We are sorry for the delay in replying.

Prison Service: Retirement

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will reduce the retirement age for prison officers to 60;
	(2)  for what reasons the retirement age of frontline Prison Service staff is not in line with that of other frontline public sector workers.

Crispin Blunt: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave on 9 June 2011, Official Report, column 473W. The normal pension age (NPA) for Prison Service staff is in line with the relevant provisions of the principal civil service pension scheme (PCSPS). Lord Hutton's final report on the proposed reform of public service pensions recommended that a pension age of 60 might be more appropriate for employees in uniformed services to recognise the unique nature of their job. Consultation will take place on what form this takes and whom it covers as part of the reform process.

Prisoners’ Release: Foreign Nationals

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign national prisoners convicted of murder are (a) currently serving a custodial sentence and (b) have been released from custody in each of the last 10 years; and how many of those released from custody (i) are still residing in the UK, (ii) have returned to their country of origin and (iii) have unknown residential status.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows numbers of foreign national prisoners in England and Wales serving a custodial sentence for murder during each of the last 10 years:
	
		
			  Number of prisoners 
			 June 2002 308 
			 June 2003 321 
			 June 2004 337 
			 June 2005 371 
			 June 2006 392 
			 June 2007 427 
			 June 2008 469 
			 June 2009 514 
			 June 2010(1) 526 
			 March 2011 573 
			 (1) Due to the introduction of a new prison IT system, from 2010 on the prison population data is taken from a different source. Note: Excludes recalls 
		
	
	In 2010, the Parole Board directed the release of seven foreign national prisoners serving a life sentence for murder. Of these, one has been returned to custody, two are residing in the UK and being supervised on life licence by the probation service, and four have been deported. As with any other life sentence prisoner, a foreign national prisoner serving a life sentence for murder is eligible for release on parole only once he has completed the minimum period of imprisonment specified by the court and only where the Parole Board determines that it is no longer necessary, on the grounds of public protection, for him to be detained in custody.
	Detailed data before 2010 are not held centrally in an electronic format. A manual trawl of prisoner files would be required to obtain these data; this would incur disproportionate cost.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Pregnancy

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many pregnant women were held in prison (a) on remand and (b) having been sentenced on the latest date for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: Information on the number of pregnant women in custody is not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost, as in order to provide this information staff would need to look at each individual's record.

Prisons

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 13 July 2011, Official Report, column 31WS, on prison and probation services, in what ways (a) HMP Latchmere House and (b) HMP Brockhill are (i) not considered to be fit for purpose and (ii) unable to deliver high quality, cost effective and secure regimes; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: There is currently a substantial gap between our available capacity and the actual population. We also have 2,500 spaces coming on line over the next 12 months and our assessment of the population projections is that there is now an opportunity to close places.
	To determine which places could be closed there has been a rigorous economic and operational evaluation process of every establishment in the prison estate. This evaluation considered factors such as operating costs, outstanding maintenance issues and the geographic and strategic function that establishments provide to the rest of the Prison Service to identify prisons that can close during this financial year. The selection of which places to close is not based on performance of establishments.
	These two sites provide the best option from those identified through our evaluation process to close the available gap between population and capacity. HMP Brockhill is in need of costly remedial work and there are options for the redeployment of staff. Having made the decision on HMP Brockhill, HMP Latchmere House was the best establishment to close given the size of the gap that remains, it occupies a valuable site whose sale will make a significant contribution to the savings target, and its staff can be redeployed at other establishments in the region.

Prisons

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 13 July 2011, Official Report, column 31WS, on prison and probation services, if he will place in the Library a copy of the analysis that determined that (a) HMP Latchmere House and (b) HMP Brockhill were (i) not considered to be fit for purpose and (ii) unable to deliver high quality, cost effective and secure regimes; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The decision to close these two sites is not a reflection of performance at either establishment. It followed a rigorous economic evaluation of every establishment in the prison estate based on age and economic factors, including operating costs, outstanding maintenance issues and land value. This gave a ranked economic assessment of the prison estate which was then used as the basis for an operational assessment which considered the geographic and strategic function that each prison provides to the rest of the Prison Service and the possible staffing implications of closure. The process of selection and decision making was therefore not based on a single piece of analysis which can be placed in the Library.

Prisons

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representation his Department has had from individuals and community organisations in (a) Yorkshire, (b) Northumberland, (c) County Durham, (d) Northamptonshire and (e) Surrey on the need to improve services at prison establishments in those areas recently announced for market testing; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: Such representations could be received by a large number individuals and groups within the Ministry of Justice and National Offender Management Service, and no central record is kept. This information could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost. The prisons announced for competition by the Secretary of State on 13 July 2011 were chosen because they form a balanced package that meets our competition priorities. We expect to obtain savings from each of these prisons, which will help the National Offender Management Service meet its revised budget for the spending review period. Individual prisons within the package also offer the potential for service innovation, as outlined in the Competition Strategy for Offender Services.

Prisons: Mother and Baby Units

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of women prisoners who have children under the age of 10 and are being held in the standard women's prisons estate were diagnosed as suffering from mental health problems in the last year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of women prisoners who were being held in units where babies are kept with their mothers until the age of 18 months were diagnosed as suffering from mental health problems in the last year for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of women prisoners who were being held in units where babies are kept with their mothers until the age of 9 months were diagnosed as suffering from mental health problems in the last year for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: The information requested is not collected centrally, or in the format requested, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Private Sector

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the criteria are which his Department uses to select prisons for market testing.

Crispin Blunt: Prisons will be selected for competition, balancing the need for efficiencies, the desire to implement new policy models and encourage innovation, and the operational concerns of running a large dynamic system.
	The criteria used to select the nine prisons announced for competition on 13 July 2011 are contained in the “Competition Strategy for Offender Services”, published on the same day.

Prisons: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress has been made in construction of a prison in north Wales.

Crispin Blunt: As part of the spending review announcement on 20 October 2010, plans to build new prisons were deferred for the spending review period. As a result, there are no current plans to build a new prison in north Wales.
	However, long-term decisions on the prison capacity programme will be taken in the light of future policy developments.

Restraint Accreditation Board

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to receive the recommendations of the Restraint Accreditation Board; when he plans to respond to the recommendations; and whether he plans to make (a) the recommendations and (b) his response available to hon. Members.

Crispin Blunt: We are due to receive and respond to advice from the Restraint Accreditation Board in the autumn following which we will communicate key outcomes with stakeholders and interested parties.

Rural Areas

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether officials of his Department have had recent discussions with the Rural Communities Policy Unit in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Jonathan Djanogly: Ministry of Justice officials hold discussions with officials from other Government Departments, including DEFRA, as necessary when developing justice policy. Officials also undertake equality impact assessments in order to assess the impact of MOJ policies on particular groups, including rural communities.

Theft: Metals

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many successful prosecutions there were for metal theft in the last three years.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database contains information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. Other than where specified in a statute statistical information available centrally does not include the circumstances of each case. It is not possible to separately identify those proceedings under the Theft Act 1968 specifically related to metal theft.

Third Sector

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the name is of each charity and voluntary organisation Ministers in his Department have visited since May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: Ministers in the Ministry of Justice have made visits to the following charitable and voluntary organisations since May 2010:
	The  Rt. Hon.  Kenneth Clarke:
	Change Project Nottingham—6 May 2011
	The  Rt. Hon.  Lord McNall y:
	Turning Point—18 March 2011
	The  H on.  Crispin Blunt:
	Koestler Trust—29 June 2010
	Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust—1 July 2010
	Corston Coalition—12 July 2010
	Third Sector Advisory Group—14 July 2010
	National Association of Care and Resettlement of Offenders (West Norwood Centre)—22 July 2010
	Howard League/National Association of Care and Resettlement of Offenders/Liberty and Criminal Justice Alliance—3 September 2010
	Koestler Exhibition—28 September 2010
	Centre for Social Justice—5 October 2010
	Catch 22—18 November 2010
	Jagnari (Women's Educational Support Research Centre)—25 November 2010
	Amber Project—1 April 2011
	NEPACS—19 May 2011
	The  Hon. Jonathan Djanogly:
	Barking Community Legal Advice Centre—27 May 2010
	Wandsworth Citizens advice Bureau—3 July 2011
	Child Concern conference—8 July 2011
	Citizen's Advice Parliamentary Reception—6 July 2011.

Victims: British Nationals Abroad

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what measures he plans to introduce to support victims of crime and their families in cases where the crimes committed have been perpetrated overseas.

Crispin Blunt: We are carrying out a review of services, support and compensation for victims and intend to consult on our proposals in the autumn. As part of the review we are considering the issue of compensation for victims of terrorism overseas.
	Victims of crimes committed abroad are already entitled to support from the national charity Victim Support when they return to the UK.
	In cases where a homicide has occurred abroad, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) now provide an automatic referral to Victim Support's National Homicide Service for bereaved families resident in England and Wales. The FCO has also agreed to provide £100,000 to Victim Support in this and the next financial year to help families bereaved by homicide abroad.
	In cases of terrorism abroad, the FCO's exceptional assistance measures scheme provides financial assistance to British victims. In addition, UK resident victims of overseas terrorism may apply for financial relief to the Red Cross Relief Fund for UK Victims of Terrorism.

Young Offender Institutions: Violence

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to ensure that leisure items available in young offender institutions are not used as weapons against staff.

Crispin Blunt: NOMS is committed to zero tolerance to violence in prisons. No act of violence is acceptable, be it verbal, physical or directed at property. Zero tolerance is a proactive approach to reducing prison violence in all its forms and is subject to ongoing assessment.
	Prisoners rarely use weapons and especially not in assaults against staff. However, where items are used as weapons and the balance of risk suggests that removal of such items is justified, NOMS takes robust action. Following serious assaults on staff in 2010 using glass items, these were removed from the lists of items available for prisoners to purchase.
	NOMS has recently completed a comprehensive review of its violence reduction policy and a revised national instruction, including further advice for governors, will be issued in the autumn of 2011.

EDUCATION

Academies

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what requirements there are on the (a) governing body and (b) head teacher of an academy to provide to the relevant local education authority information about the process followed in considering and determining an application for academy status for the purpose of responding to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Nick Gibb: Academies, in the same way as maintained schools, are responsible for dealing with their own freedom of information requests. There are no requirements for governing bodies or head teachers to pass on any information to local authorities for the purposes of responding to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and this would include those related to applications for academy status.

Academies: ICT

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on which academy schools do not provide children with laptops.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for the academy. The Department does not hold this information.

Academies: Primary Education

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what criteria his Department has used to identify the 200 underperforming primary schools that will become academies in 2012-13; what the name of each such school is; and who is sponsoring each such academy.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 14 July 2011 
	: The 200 underperforming primary schools have been identified as those that have not achieved minimum standards of performance for the previous five years.
	The Department does not intend to publish a list of the 200 worst performing primary schools in England.
	Academy sponsors have yet to be identified.

Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with his Department in each of the last three years.

Tim Loughton: The Department does not maintain a central record of the number of apprenticeships created directly by contracts and the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has issued any guidance to schools on the generation of low-carbon energy on their estates.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education (DfE) has produced a document on “How to Reduce Energy and Water use in Schools”, which is available on the Department for Education's website. The DfE also encourages a number of low carbon and sustainable development initiatives, including those from the Sustainable Schools Alliance and the Carbon Trust's Collaborative Low Carbon Schools service.
	The Government remain fully committed to sustainable development and the importance of preparing young people for the future. At the same time, we believe that schools perform better when they take responsibility for their own improvement. We want schools to make their own judgments on whether generating low-carbon energy on their estate is the best decision for them, and how sustainable development should be reflected in their ethos, day-to-day operations and teaching.

Departmental ICT

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance is issued to (a) staff and (b) special advisers in his Department on the use of private email accounts for communications relating to their official duties; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 18 July 2011
	The guidance issued to (a) staff and (b) special advisers in the Department for Education on the use of private email accounts for communications relating to their official duties is as follows:
	(a) for Departmental staff: “Never use non-DfE email services (such as your own personal internet email account on Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, AOL, MobileMe, etc) to carry out Departmental business.” An extract from this guidance for DfE staff, covering the salient points, is shown in Annex A.
	(b) for Ministers and special advisers: “DON ’ T use unofficial devices (such as your own/constituency PC/Laptop/PDA) or unofficial services (such as internet email accounts like Hotmail or Gmail) to access or hold DfE information. Only official devices and services have been tested and risk assessed to ensure they are secure enough for routine HMG business.”
	Special Advisers are bound by the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, paragraph 6 of which says that
	“Special Advisers should not use official resources for party political activity”.
	Annex A
	Essential steps to protect information in DfE
	Use only official DfE ICT systems, services and devices to access or store DfE information
	Official DfE ICT (Information and Communications Technology), computing and telephony services, systems and devices, have been configured, risk assessed, and tested to ensure they are secure enough for Departmental business. Official DfE mobile devices (Laptops and BlackBerry’s) have HM Government approved strong encryption enabled.
	You should therefore:
	Never use non-DfE devices (such as your own laptop, PC, Mac, PDA or memory stick) to access or store DfE Information.
	Never use non-DfE email services (such as your own personal internet email account on Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, AOL, MobileMe, etc.) to carry out Departmental business.
	Never set your ‘Out of Office’ message or email forwarding rules to direct official email to your personal internet email account.
	If you have a compelling requirement to conduct DfE business when away from the office, but do not already have the appropriate DfE remote working tools to support this, talk to your line manager about making the business case.
	Why is this so important?
	The loss or compromise of personal or otherwise sensitive information that has not been adequately protected can have serious consequences including:
	Financial loss, disruption to the work of the Department, or distress to citizens or staff;
	Damage to DfE’s reputation which could in turn lead to loss of public confidence in the services of our Department or of Government as a whole;
	Breach of the Data Protection Act, which could lead to public censure of the Department by the Information Commissioner, whose statutory powers also include the right to impose fines on the Department of up to £500,000.
	Use of unapproved ICT systems, services and devices could also put in jeopardy the Department’s continued right to use the Government Secure Intranet (GSI) which we rely on for secure intra-government email and data sharing.
	As well as breaching security rules the use of unapproved ICT systems, services and devices to conduct Government business also creates Information Management issues. For example: information not held on DfE ICT systems would not be searched when responding to a Freedom of Information (FoI) Request.

Departmental Procurement

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the annual value is of his Department's current contracts in each sector in which contracts are held.

Tim Loughton: To get the information on what the annual value is of the Department's current contracts by sector could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Responsibilities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to publish details of (a) meetings attended and (b) gifts and hospitality received by (i) Ministers and (ii) special advisers in his Department for the period 1 January 2011 to 31 March 2011.

Tim Loughton: The information will be published on the Department's website in due course.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of vulnerable pupils in each local education authority area who will be entitled to the maximum award from the education maintenance allowance replacement bursary fund;
	(2)  how many education maintenance allowance recipients in each local education area in 2011-12 have been defined as vulnerable.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education estimates that around 12,000 vulnerable young people nationally will be eligible to receive £1,200 from the new 16-19 bursary fund in the academic year 2011/12. This estimate was based on the number of young people in care, care leavers, young people living independently and those receiving welfare benefits in their own right who were participating in education and receiving the education maintenance allowance in England in 2010. The Department is not able to break down this estimate by provider, local authority or region.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many education maintenance allowance recipients in each school sixth form and college in London in 2010-11 were defined as vulnerable.

Nick Gibb: Under the education maintenance allowance (EMA) scheme payments were not made on the basis of a defined vulnerable group, but on the basis of an assessment of household income. For a small proportion of young people a household income assessment was not appropriate—this group included looked after children, those who applied while in custody, and those who could demonstrate that they were estranged from their parents. There were 1,664 such young people who were resident in London and receiving EMA in 2010-11.
	Young parents with caring responsibility for their child were assessed on their own income and that of their partner. There were 69 young parents who were resident in London and receiving EMA in 2010-11.
	In accordance with policy on data protection, where the numbers of young people in these categories would be equal to or less than five, they cannot be specified at the level of individual schools and colleges.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students in each local authority area received education maintenance allowance in 2010-11.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 18 July 2011
	This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Greater London

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many sixth formers in each school and college in London were in receipt of education maintenance allowance in 2010-11.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 18 July 2011
	This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) which operates the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Education Maintenance Allowance: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many young people in York local authority area are in receipt of education maintenance allowance; and how many young people in that area he expects to benefit from the 16 to 19 years bursary scheme.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) which operates the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Further Education: Finance

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much has been allocated from the 16 to 19 bursary fund to each school and college in London for 2011-12.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 18 July 2011
	This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) which operates the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

GCE A-level

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with UCAS and A-level examination boards about errors in the marking of A-level papers; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of A-level candidates likely to be affected by errors in the marking of A-level papers in 2011-12; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what representations he has received on errors in the marking of A-level examination papers in each of the last six months; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: No representations concerning errors in A- level marking have been received by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education during the past six months. As regulator of the examination awarding bodies concerned, it is for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) to work with the awarding bodies to investigate any issues concerning A-level examination marking standards. Ofqual have not advised Education Ministers of any representations on this matter during the last six months. No forecast of A-level marking errors has been prepared for Ministers. While it is not feasible to eliminate all incidences of error from the initial marking process, Ministers expect that awarding bodies will always operate procedures to minimise marking errors, and that all suspected errors that are subsequently reported to them by schools will then be dealt with through the established inquiry and appeals mechanisms.

History: GCSE

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of pupils of each ethnicity eligible for free school meals achieved a grade C or above in (a) history GCSE and (b) history A-level in 2010; how many pupils of each ethnicity were entered for (i) history GCSE and (ii) a history A-level in 2010; and how many were eligible for free school meals.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is provided in the following tables:
	
		
			 Table 1: Number and percentage of pupils (1, 2)  entering GCSE history by ethnicity and free school meal (FSM) eligibility (3)  in 2009/10 
			  Pupils entering GCSE history 
			  All pupils Pupils eligible for FSM 
			 Ethnicity Number of pupils Percentage of pupils Number of pupils Percentage of pupils 
			 White 147,436 30.9 9,072 17.3 
			 Mixed 5,173 28.7 642 17.9 
			 Asian 11,053 26.0 2,333 21.4 
			 Black 6,006 24.9 1,506 20.4 
			 Chinese 659 29.5 52 24.2 
			 Other(4) 3,800 27.4 626 19.9 
			 Total 174,127 30.1 14,131 18.3 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number and percentage of pupils (1, 2)  achieving an A*-C grade in GCSE history by ethnicity and FSM eligibility in 2009/10 
			  Pupils achieving an A*-C grade in GCSE history 
			  All pupils Pupils eligible for FSM 
			 Ethnicity Number of pupils Percentage of pupils Number of pupils Percentage of pupils 
			 White 99,301 20.8 3,661 7.0 
			 Mixed 3,497 19.4 313 8.7 
			 Asian 7,653 18.0 1,305 12.5 
			 Black 3,617 15.0 789 10.7 
			 Chinese 571 25.5 33 15.3 
		
	
	
		
			 Other(4) 2,579 18.6 344 10.9 
			 Total 117,218 20.3 6,445 8.3 
			 (1) Pupils attending maintained schools (including Academies and CTCs). (2) Number of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4. (3) FSM eligibility taken from the 2010 Spring School Census (January 2010). (4) Includes pupils of any other ethnic group and for whom ethnicity was not obtained, refused or could not be determined. Source: National Pupil Database (final data) 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: Number and percentage of students (1, 2 ) entering A-level history by ethnicity and FSM eligibility (3)  in 2009/10 
			  Students entering A-level history 
			  All students Students eligible for FSM 
			 Ethnicity Number of students Percentage of students Number of students Percentage of students 
			 White 30,984 11.6 728 5.8 
			 Mixed 946 9.7 62 5.0 
			 Asian 1,615 5.9 221 4.1 
			 Black 907 6.5 140 4.8 
			 Chinese 123 5.6 10 5.3 
			 Other(4) 1,210 5.6 84 4.1 
			 Total 35,785 10.5 1,245 5.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 4: Number and percentage of pupils (1, 2)  achieving an A*-C grade in A-level history by ethnicity and FSM eligibility (3)  2009/10 
			  Students achieving an A*-C grade in A-level History 
			  All students Students eligible for FSM 
			 Ethnicity Number of students Percentage of students Number of students Percentage of students 
			 White 24,023 9.0 486 3.9 
			 Mixed 757 7.8 46 3.7 
			 Asian 1,225 4.4 153 2.8 
			 Black 661 4.7 102 3.5 
			 Chinese 98 4.4 7 3.7 
			 Other' 992 4.6 61 3.0 
			 Total 27,756 8.1 855 3.5 
			 (1) Maintained schools and FE sector colleges only. Students taking A levels in independent schools are not included. (2) Students entered for a GCE or Applied GCE A level or other Level 3 qualification equivalent in size to an A level and aged 16-18 at the start of the 2009/10 academic year i.e. 31 August 2009. (3) Students eligible for free school meals at the end of year 11. (4) Includes students of any other ethnic group and for whom ethnicity or first language was not obtained, refused or could not be determined. Source: National Pupil Database (final data)

Home Education: Special Educational Needs

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to support parents of children with special educational needs who choose to home-educate.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has recently consulted on proposals in a Special Educational Needs and Disability Green Paper which include arrangements to give parents greater control over the choice of education provision for their children. The Secretary of State has no plans to change the current arrangements for supporting parents of children with special educational needs who choose to home educate. In 2010 the Department for Children, Schools and Families issued guidance to local authorities on their duties and powers in relation to home educated children with special educational needs. That guidance highlighted local authorities' powers to make provision for these children, to help parents ensure that home education is suitable for the child's needs. For home educated children with statements of special educational needs, local authorities are under a duty to ensure that the provision the parents are making is suitable and meets each child's special educational needs. The local authority must review statements at least annually.

Offences Against Children

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hampstead and Kilburn of 24 January 2011, Official Report, column 27W, on offences against children, what steps his Department has taken to safeguard children and young people from sexual exploitation in 2011.

Tim Loughton: On 5 April 2011 I chaired a roundtable meeting of senior representatives from organisations with wide-ranging knowledge and experience of child sexual exploitation. We recognised that much excellent work is being done around the country, especially by voluntary and community organisations who have a key role in reaching out to and engaging the most vulnerable children and young people. However, we identified a number of further actions that needed to be taken by the Government, working with national and local partners, to safeguard children and young people from this appalling form of child abuse.
	On 17 May at an event organised by Barnardo's, I confirmed the Government's commitment to working with national and local partners to develop an action plan to tackle child sexual exploitation. Work on this action plan is under way, building on existing guidance and our developing understanding of this dreadful abuse, including through local agencies' work around the country. The action plan, which will be published in the autumn, will address issues of raising awareness and understanding; effective prevention and detection; the challenge of securing prosecutions; and the need to improve support for victims
	The Government are determined to work with partners to ensure that everything possible is done to stamp out child sexual exploitation.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reasons the review of personal, social, health and economic education focusing on sex and relationships education and alcohol education has been suspended; and when it will be resumed.

Nick Gibb: The review of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education has not been suspended; it has not started. PSHE education is an important subject and we are giving proper consideration to the review’s remit, process and time scale. This will ensure that the review has the best chance of determining how schools can be supported to improve the quality of PSHE teaching and of how to give teachers the flexibility to use their judgment about how best to deliver PSHE education.

Private Education: Scholarships

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the oral statement of 11 July 2011 on the Open Public Services White Paper, if he will make it his policy that independent schools may be able to provide places funded by the state only if the cost of doing so is no greater than the cost of providing a place in the state sector in the local education authority area.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 14 July 2011
	Local authorities may purchase places in independent schools, and the negotiation of fee levels for pupils placed in independent schools by local authorities is a matter for the local authority concerned. Independent schools can apply to become free schools and receive state funding, which would give them equivalent funding to other publicly-funded schools of a similar character in the same local authority area.
	The majority of placements in independent schools are made to meet the specific needs of children with special education needs. The fees in these schools are therefore often much higher than the average cost of providing a place in a maintained school in the authority concerned. We have no plans to limit the ability of local authorities to pay fees to secure specialist provision they need.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration he has given to allocating funding through the pupil premium to schools which provide no school meals.

Nick Gibb: We have introduced the Pupil Premium to provide additional funding to schools to help raise the attainment of deprived pupils. Eligibility for the Pupil Premium is based on known eligibility for Free School Meals (FSM) as the link between FSM eligibility and educational underachievement is strong. We aim to extend the coverage of the Pupil Premium from 2012-13 onwards to pupils who have previously been known to be eligible for FSM.
	We know that not all pupils eligible for FSM are registered. However, whether a school provides school meals more generally should not be a significant factor in this registration as a school or local authority must provide a meal for FSM pupils where valid requests for such meals are made. We have made it clear that we want all children eligible for free school meals to be registered so that Pupil Premium funding can be targeted correctly, and so they can choose to take a free meal to which they are entitled.

Pupils: Transport

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received on changes to home-to-school transportation schemes.

Tim Loughton: The Department regularly receives correspondence from parents, local authorities, dioceses and other stakeholder groups regarding changes to home-to-school transport. Planning, procuring and providing school transport is the responsibility of local authorities and is funded directly from a combination of DCLG provided revenue support grant and any locally determined council tax.

Schools: Assessments

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the ranking of examination boards in respect of examination question errors made in 2011;
	(2)  what reasons he has received from Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR) for errors contained in the A-level physics examination paper of June 2011;
	(3)  on what date Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR) informed Ofqual that they had checked their examination paper questions for errors;
	(4)  on what dates he received assurances from Ofqual that there were no further errors in examination questions for exams taken in summer 2011;
	(5)  how many errors in examination questions prepared by each examination board were corrected following an intervention by Ofqual in June 2011.

Nick Gibb: The errors that have come to light in GCSE and A-Level examination papers are extremely serious and are unacceptable. I can confirm that Ofqual has now announced that they are carrying out an inquiry to discover the causes of these errors. A copy of this inquiry will be placed in the House Libraries. The aims of the inquiry are to:
	Establish the facts and find out the root causes of the errors;
	Inform decisions about further regulatory action relating to the errors;
	Consider how effectively the awarding bodies have communicated with candidates, schools, colleges and other stakeholders;
	Identify any improvements necessary in awarding bodies' procedures; and
	Consider arrangements for risk management and redress that should be used in the future and any implications for regulatory arrangements.
	The inquiry will take into account information and views that Ofqual has already received from sources including exam candidates, schools and colleges, parents and student representatives.
	Separate from the inquiry, the regulators will continue their work to monitor the actions being taken by the awarding bodies to make sure that candidates who have faced exam paper errors this summer are, as far as possible, not unfairly disadvantaged or advantaged.
	I have asked Ofqual to write directly to the hon. Member, to provide the detail requested. A copy of their reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Schools: Broadband

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what studies his Department has made of the broadband speeds available to school students in rural areas; and what advice and support his Department has given to (a) local authorities and (b) other school operators in this regard.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has not carried out a detailed study of broadband data rates in rural schools. Local authorities and regional broadband consortia (RBCs) typically make arrangements for schools broadband and should hold information on speeds available to their schools. However, individual institutions are able to opt out of this provision.
	The Department for Education maintains a dialogue with RBCs and other providers and has encouraged them to look at any opportunities available from the Government's broadband strategy, led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, including additional funding for superfast broadband.

Schools: Freedom of Information

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take to ensure that academy and free schools remain within the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Nick Gibb: The Academies Act 2010 brought academies and free schools within the scope of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000 and there is no intention to change this.

Schools: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much central Government capital funding was allocated to schools in York in each year since 1996-97; and how much he expects to be allocated in (a) cash and (b) real terms (i) in total and (ii) per pupil in each year of the comprehensive spending review period.

Nick Gibb: The following table shows allocations of central capital support to York local authority and its schools since 1996-97.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 1996-97 0.8 
			 1997-98 1.3 
			 1998-99 1.8 
			 1999-2000 4.5 
			 2000-01 7.4 
			 2001-02 4.8 
			 2002-03 9.2 
			 2003-04 11.1 
			 2004-05 (1)26.8 
			 2005-06 10.7 
			 2006-07 23.0 
			 2007-08 19.3 
			 2008-09 26.7 
			 2009-10 23.1 
			 2010-11 18.0 
			 2011-12 (2)6.2 
			 (1) Of which, £15.4 million of PFI credits. (2) £253 per pupil—this is an estimate using pupil numbers taken from the January 2010 census and is consistent with those used for devolved formula capital allocations. In practice, funding streams have different methodologies consisting of lump sums, unit values dependent on phase, allocations based on growth forecasts, etc. 
		
	
	Future allocations covering the rest of the current spending review period, up to 2014-15, will be announced in due course.

Teachers: Misconduct

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many allegations of misconduct were made against teachers in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire in each year since 2008; and in how many cases the associated investigation found against the teacher.

Tim Loughton: This is a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government.

Teachers: Pensions

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to reinstate the quinquennial independent valuation of the Teachers' Pension Scheme.

Nick Gibb: The Government put valuations of the public service pension schemes on hold while the consultation on the discount rate used to calculate contribution rates was taking place. The outcome of the consultation was announced in Budget 2011. The valuations remain on hold pending detailed consideration of the implications of the new discount rate.

Young People: Voluntary Work

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on the value for money provided by the National Citizen Service.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 11 July 2011
	I discuss National Citizen Service (NCS) regularly with a range of stakeholders. A key requirement in the specification for NCS pilots is that organisations demonstrate innovation and set out creative and cost effective approaches to delivering the core principles of NCS.
	Government investment in the NCS pilots, which is being met by the Cabinet Office, has been matched with considerable additional support secured locally through other funding sources and in-kind donations.
	The Government have commissioned an independent evaluation of NCS and value for money is something it will be looking at to help identify the most cost-effective way forward, informed by evidence not conjecture.

HEALTH

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether alcohol-related admission statistics are designated as national statistics; and whether they are published in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority's code of practice for official statistics.

Anne Milton: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care publish data about alcohol-related hospital admissions in two annual National Statistics publications:
	1. Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) (admitted patient care) England
	2. Statistics on Alcohol: England
	They are designated as National Statistics and are published in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority code of practice for official statistics.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  with reference to page 84 of the NHS Information Centre's publication, Statistics on Alcohol: England 2011, for what reasons 2002-03 is the baseline year for comparison of alcohol-related admissions over time;
	(2)  with reference to paragraph 4.4.1 of the NHS Information Centre's publication, Statistics on Alcohol: England 2011, in what proportion of alcohol-related hospital admissions in 2009-10 the alcohol-specific condition was a secondary diagnosis;
	(3)  with reference to page 78 of the NHS Information Centre's publication, Statistics on Alcohol: England 2011, what the updates were of the application of North West Public Health Observatory methodology which were made in summer 2010;
	(4)  with reference to paragraph 4.4.4 of the NHS Information Centre's publication, Statistics on Alcohol: England 2011, which ICD-10 codes were added to the group of conditions wholly attributable to alcohol; and for what reasons such changes were made.

Anne Milton: In the NHS Information Centre's publication, “Statistics on Alcohol: England 2011”, the series on admissions with an alcohol related condition goes back to 2002-03 as that is the earliest year for which estimates have been generated.
	Estimates of the number of admissions with an alcohol related condition based on the current methodology were first generated in 2008. At that time, estimates were generated for the latest year for which hospital admissions data were available (2006-07) and retrospectively for the years 2002-03 to 2005-06. Estimates were not generated for years before 2002-03 primarily because the maximum number of diagnoses collected centrally for a hospital episode increased from seven to fourteen between 2001-02 and 2002-03, creating the possibility of a discontinuity in the series that might affect comparability.
	The estimates for 2002-03 to 2006-07 were revised slightly in summer 2010. The revisions resulted from the inclusion of chronic hepatitis (K73) and psoriasis (L40), that had been previously been excluded unintentionally.
	At a national level, the revisions ranged in scale from an increase of 543 admissions (0.07%) in 2005-06 to an increase of 2,946 (0.37%) in 2006-07.
	With regard to paragraph 4.4.1, 74% of the estimated 1,057,000 admissions with a diagnosis of disease attributable to alcohol in 2009-10 did not involve a primary diagnosis attributable to alcohol.
	With regard to paragraph 4.4.4, in the 2008 edition of the NHS Information Centre's publication, “Statistics on Alcohol: England”, the following three ICD-10 codes were included in the figure for admissions with a diagnosis of diseases wholly-attributable to alcohol:
	F10: Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol
	K70: Alcoholic liver disease
	T51: Toxic effect of alcohol
	In the 2011 edition, the following additional ICD-10 codes were included:
	E24.4: Alcohol-induced pseudo-Cushing's syndrome
	G31.2: Degeneration of nervous system due to alcohol
	G62.1: Alcoholic polyneuropathy
	G72.1: Alcoholic myopathy
	I42.6: Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
	K29.2: Alcoholic gastritis
	K86.0: Chronic pancreatitis (alcohol induced)
	X45: Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol
	and the following ICD-10 codes were no longer included:
	T51.2: Toxic effect of 2-Propanol
	T51.3: Toxic effect of fusel oil
	T51.8: Toxic effect of other alcohols
	The changes have been applied to data from 2002-03. The changes were made to offer figures based on a more comprehensive set of diseases that are wholly attributable to alcohol, in line with the review undertaken by the North West Public Health Observatory published in “Jones et al. (2008) Alcohol-attributable fractions for England”.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether patients admitted to NHS hospitals are asked if they have consumed any alcohol that day; and where such information is recorded;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2011, Official Report, column 56W, on alcoholic drinks: misuse, what the source was of alcohol consumption data used to calculate alcohol-related admissions for 2009-10.

Anne Milton: There is no central requirement for patients admitted to national health service hospitals to be asked if they have consumed any alcohol that day, although that may happen locally in some settings and such information may be recorded on some local systems.
	The estimates of admissions with a diagnosis of diseases attributable to alcohol in 2009-10 in the answer of 20 June 2011, Official Report, column 56W, on alcoholic drinks: misuse were based on the method developed by the North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO). The method makes use of the internationally applied concept of attributable fractions. In the case of alcohol-related admissions, an attributable fraction represents the estimated percentage of admissions that can be attributed to alcohol consumption. The NWPHO estimated fractions for the 47 conditions for which there was sufficient epidemiological evidence that the risk of morbidity is significantly affected by alcohol consumption. In some cases, such as alcoholic liver disease, the conditions are wholly attributable to alcohol, in which case the attributable fraction is one or 100%. In the case of partially attributable conditions, the fractions often vary by age and sex. The list includes chronic conditions such as some cancers, acute conditions such as ethanol poisoning, and external causes such as road accidents. For most conditions, NWPHO estimated the attributable fraction for a condition by combining information from epidemiological studies on the risk of different levels of alcohol consumption, with information on alcohol consumption among adults in England from the 2005 General Household Survey. Information on the primary and secondary diagnoses recorded for each admission is then used in combination with the fractions to estimate the number of admissions involving an alcohol-related condition.

Continuing Care

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many representations he has received from (a) patient groups, (b) health charities and (c) employees of his Department on the accuracy of the decision support tool for NHS Continuing Care in assessing people with fluctuating conditions;
	(2)  for what reasons a person diagnosed with a degenerative condition who has been awarded NHS Continuing Care may have it withdrawn; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The Department receives a large number of representations from individual patients, patient groups and stakeholders on the accuracy of decision support tool assessments of people for continuing healthcare. It is not possible to say how many of these represent patients with fluctuating conditions.
	Those receiving continuing healthcare are subject to a re-assessment, on at least an annual basis, to determine their current care needs. Those who no longer meet the eligibility criteria will no longer receive continuing healthcare, but may be eligible for alternative health and social care services.

Continuing Care

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the decision support tool for NHS Continuing Care in assessing the needs of people with (a) fluctuating conditions, (b) long-term conditions and (c) Parkinson’s disease;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the provision of NHS Continuing Care for people with (a) Parkinson’s disease and (b) long-term conditions; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many people with Parkinson’s disease in England were awarded NHS Continuing Care in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: National health service-funded continuing health care is a package of care designed for people with a primary health need. The actual services provided as part of that package are tailored to meet the specific health and social care needs of the individual. As eligibility for continuing health care is not condition specific, we have not made any assessment of provision for people living with specific medical conditions.
	Information on the number of people in receipt of continuing health care, diagnosed with specific medical conditions, is not collected centrally.
	We have no assessment of the accuracy of the decision support tool for specific medical conditions. Assessment for continuing health care is made by a multi-disciplinary team who use their clinical expertise to make an assessment of an individual’s needs based on all the existing available evidence.

Continuing Care

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which body or bodies will be responsible for (a) determining eligibility for NHS Continuing Care and (b) the independent appeals process in relation to NHS Continuing Care under the proposals contained in the Health and Social Care Bill; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what consideration he has given to reviewing the decision support tool for NHS Continuing Care following the report of the Dilnot Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: It is proposed that those functions currently the responsibility of primary care trusts will transfer to clinical commissioning groups while those functions currently the responsibility of strategic health authorities will transfer to the NHS Commissioning Board.
	We are currently considering the implications of the Dilnot report.

Advertising

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on (a) television, (b) radio and (c) newspaper advertising in (i) real and (ii) nominal terms in each year since 1997-98; and what the total cost to the public purse was.

Simon Burns: The following tables outline the specific costs relating to the Department's advertising spend during the financial year 1997-98 to 2003-04 and advertising spend broken down into television, radio and newspaper media for 2004-05 onwards. To provide a breakdown from 1997 to 2004 would incur disproportionate cost.
	The financial information is not available in the format requested and to provide the information in real and nominal terms would incur disproportionate costs.
	
		
			 Department of Health media spend ,  1997-98 to 2003-04 financial years 
			  £ million 
			 1997-98 2.04 
			 1998-99 8.53 
			 1999-2000 15.70 
			 2000-01 20.78 
			 2001-02 20.35 
			 2002-03 24.85 
			 2003-04 41.12 
		
	
	
		
			 Department of Health media spend on radio, television and newspapers ,  2004-05 to 2010-11 financial years 
			 £ million 
			  2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 (1) 
			 Television 17.77 13.82 11.05 10.25 23.73 28.73 1.33 
			 Radio 3.74 4.09 3.53 3.16 5.10 6.58 0.57 
			 Newspapers 8.74 5.22 4.60 4.93 11.88 10.79 1.86 
			 Total 30.25 23.13 19.18 18.34 40.71 46.10 3.76 
			 (1) Figures are provisional. Notes: 1. Advertising spend is defined as covering only media spend (inclusive of agency commissions but excluding production costs, Central Office of Information (COI) commission and VAT). 2. These figures do not include the Department's recruitment/classified advertising costs and ad hoc spend under £10,000. All figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000. 3. These figures may include occasional minor spend through COI by national health service organisations, to supplement national campaigns in their area. While this expenditure has been excluded as far as possible so that this spreadsheet reflects central Departmental spend, it would incur disproportionate cost to validate that every item of NHS expenditure has been removed.

Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether his Department has a policy on requirements for the provision of (a) apprenticeships and (b) other training by (i) his Department's prime contractors and (ii) suppliers in the supply chain of such contractors;
	(2)  what the annual value is of his Department's current contracts in each sector in which contracts are held;
	(3)  how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with his Department in each of the last three years.

Simon Burns: The Department does not have a specific procurement policy relating to the provision of apprenticeships or other training requirements in relation to prime contractors or those within the extended supply chain.
	The Department has calculated the annual value of contracts through a subset of the purchase order information contained within its Business Management System.
	The following table shows the number of contracts and monetary value.
	
		
			 Category  Total spend (£) 
			 Clinical and Medical  45,470,165.81 
			  Medical and Surgical Consumables 3,000.00 
			 Clinical and Medical Total  45,473,165.81 
			    
			 Construction Building Repair and Maintenance 166,754.18 
			 Construction Total  166,754.18 
			    
			 Energy and Utilities Electricity 15,276.56 
			  Gas 4,500.00 
			  Water 9,079.64 
			 Energy and Utilities Total  28,856.20 
			    
			 Facilities Accommodation Services 1,325,994.26 
			  Building Management 22,308,320.97 
			  Catering 83,601.83 
			  Cleaning 58,458.64 
			  Food 16,150.05 
			  Office Furniture 131,834.41 
			  Security 15,026.28 
			 Facilities Total  23,939,386.44 
		
	
	
		
			    
			 Fuels Lubricants and Gases Fuels 21,272.56 
			 Fuels Lubricants and Gases Total  21,272.56 
			    
			 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Hardware 887,810.07 
			  Maintenance and Support 93,698,198.35 
			  Managed/Outsourced Services 36,715,745.77 
			  Networking 39,570,534.35 
			  Software 1,010,160.71 
			  Systems Delivery 1,045,659.90 
			  Telecoms 1,390,965.34 
			 ICT Total  174,319,074.49 
			    
			 Logistics Supply Chain Business Process Outsourcing 1,616,275.00 
			  Warehousing and Storage 577,696.07 
			 Logistics Total  2,193,971.07 
			    
			 Marketing and Media Advertising 3,475.40 
			  Communication Services 409,976.13 
			  Marketing 61,291.33 
			  Promotion 92,302.79 
			 Marketing and Media Total  567,045.65 
			    
			 Office Solutions Office Consumables 3,058.10 
			  Office Machines 117,595.99 
			  Office Supplies 114,098.66 
			  Print 1,680,601.85 
			  Records Storage 150,563.53 
			  Reprographics 91,129.74 
			 Office Solutions Total  2,157,047.87 
			    
			 Operational Goods and Services Clothing 9,056.45 
			  Learning and Development Materials 14,758.00 
			  Learning and Development Services 15,174.00 
			 Operational Goods and Services Total  38,988.45 
			    
			 Personnel Related Events Admissions 29,414.31 
			  HR Business Process Outsourcing 699,224.81 
			  Professional Subscriptions 22,361.00 
			  Staff Childcare 17,509.50 
			  Staff Health and Safety 441,135.11 
			  Staff Medical Care 57,426.10 
			  Staff Relocation 13,509.25 
			  Staff Subscriptions 33,378.10 
			 Personnel Related Total  1,313,958.18 
			    
			 Professional Services Temporary Workers 169,258.27 
			 Professional Services Total  169,258.27 
		
	
	
		
			    
			 Professional Services Consultancy Finance Consultancy 2,457,986.73 
			  Human Resource Training and Education Consultancy 39,498.78 
			  IT/IS Consultancy 745,856.26 
			  Legal Consultancy 329,129.90 
			  Marketing and Communications Consultancy 1,098,115.30 
			  Organisation and Change Management Consultancy 1,212,820.67 
			  PPM Consultancy 1,837,628.06 
			  Property and Construction Consultancy 63,933.58 
			  Strategy Consultancy 134,037.01 
			  Technical Consultancy 3,573.05 
			 Professional Services Consultancy Total  7,922,579.34 
			    
			 Professional Services Financial Services Accountancy Services 775,085.18 
			  Audit Services 596,818.40 
			  Credit Services 60,583.94 
			  Finance Business Process Outsourcing 27,472.64 
			  Pension Services 152,759.82 
			 Professional Services Financial Services Total  1,612,719.98 
			    
			 Professional Services Learning and Development Careers Development Services 179,233.06 
			  Staff Training and Development 1,970,970.22 
			 Professional Services Learning and Development Total  2,150,203.28 
			    
			 Professional Services Other Business Process Outsourcing Services 204,753,574.07 
			  Clinical Support Services 661,638.41 
			  Communication Services 39,135.00 
			  Environmental Services 4,670.50 
			  Interpretation and Translation Services 8,295.68 
			  Legal Services 8,665,367.29 
			  Operational Services 30,478,176.11 
			  Outsourcing 193,158.90 
			 Professional Services Other Total  244,804,015.96 
			    
			 Professional Services Technical Services Engineering Services 5,975.00 
			 Professional Services Technical Services Total  5,975.00 
			    
			 Professional Services Temporary Staff Interim Managers 1,570,168.41 
			  Specialist Contractors 27,388,853.20 
			  Temporary Workers 3,946,458.54 
			 Professional Services Temporary Staff Total  32,905,480.15 
		
	
	
		
			    
			 Social Care Adult Social Care 46,000.00 
			  Child Social Care 4,470.00 
			  Emergency Services 207,474.81 
			 Social Care Total  257,944.81 
			    
			 Travel Booking Services 59,048.38 
			  Events Organisation 345,623.24 
			  Rail 2,594,756.40 
			  Taxi 22.50 
			  Travel and Subsistence Non Staff 39,241.43 
			 Travel Total  3,038,691.95 
			    
			 Vehicles Fleet Management 237.60 
			  Leasing 5,933.12 
			 Vehicles Total  6,170.72 
			    
			 Waste Management Waste Management Services 790.44 
			 Waste Management Total  790.44 
			    
			 Grand Total  543,093,350.79 
		
	
	From the period 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011 the category breakdown reflected what was published in the annual Public Sector Procurement Expenditure Survey, and therefore the table does not include Connecting for Health expenditure.
	The Department is currently aware of two apprenticeship placements that work directly on contracts awarded by the Department and these are within the ICT arena.

Departmental Billing

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many late payments his Department has made to contractors in each year since 1997-98; and what the total cost to the public purse was of any (a) penalty and (b) interest charges incurred.

Simon Burns: The Department operates standard contractual payment terms of 30-days and any payments that are delayed beyond that date may be subject to interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. The Act states that suppliers who are not paid within 30-days of the receipt of the invoice by the party billed are entitled to claim interest on the delayed payment at a rate of 8% above the Bank of England base reference rate. Penalty payments may be due where a small or medium sized business obtains a ruling that any contract terms that were applied were grossly unfair.
	Details of the penalty and interest charges paid by the Department in each financial year since 1997-98 are given in the following table. Data are only available from 2001-02 when the Department introduced an Oracle based finance system (Vista), which allowed for such payment information to be collected.
	
		
			  Number of late payments Penalty charges (£) Interest  c harges (£) 
			 1997-98 n/a 0 0 
			 1998-99 n/a 0 0 
			 1999-2000 n/a 0 0 
			 2000-01 n/a 0 0 
			 2001-02 19,791 0 0 
			 2002-03 17,412 0 0 
			 2003-04 12,332 0 0 
			 2004-05 21,802 0 0 
			 2005-06 11,209 0 0 
			 2006-07 9,929 135,000 0 
			 2007-08 1,953 0 0 
			 2008-09 1,161 0 91 
			 2009-10 1,855 0 0 
			 2010-11 1,525 0 183 
		
	
	It should be noted that these data cover all payments made by the Department and therefore includes both commercial and non-commercial suppliers. No separate analysis of ‘contractor’ payments is available.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the carbon dioxide emissions from his Department in (a) June 2010 and (b) June 2011.

Simon Burns: Between 14 May 2010 and 13 May 2011, the Department of Health delivered a reduction of 15.9% in carbon dioxide emissions from its office estate. Under the Green Government Commitments, it is now committed to deliver a 25% reduction in green house gases by 2014-15.
	It is estimated that from the office estate for June 2010 The Department's non-weather corrected emissions amounted to some 976.1 tonnes carbon dioxide.
	It is estimated that the Department's non-weather corrected emissions for June 2011 amounted to some 891 tonnes carbon dioxide.

Departmental Lost Property

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what property has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost of replacement was.

Simon Burns: The following table outlines information technology losses and thefts in the last financial year and is the latest information held. No losses of other departmental property have been reported. No distinction is made between items lost or stolen.
	
		
			 Department losses and thefts 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 
			 Items Number Replacement value (£) 
			 Laptops 10 8,666.20 
			 Mobile telephones and BlackBerrys 50 9,144.67 
			 Other items (chargers, cartridges and tokens) 30 4,204.73 
			 Total 90 22,015.60

Departmental Mobile Phones

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost was to the public purse of (a) line rental, (b) insurance and (c) handset purchase of (i) mobile telephones and (ii) BlackBerrys provided to staff in his Department in each year since 1997-98.

Simon Burns: The Department is unable to provide the information for the entire period requested or in the format required without incurring disproportionate cost. The following table provides details of the total amount spent on mobile phone services from 2006-07 to 2010-11.
	Included within these total costs are handset and line rental contracts, call and data charges for both mobile phone and BlackBerry devices, together with 3G data cards. The Department does not pay insurance for mobile handsets.
	
		
			 Mobile telephony expenditure 2006 - 11 
			 Financial year Total costs (£) 
			 2006-07 780,987 
			 2007-08 760,973 
			 2008-09 897,002 
			 2009-10 982,239 
			 2010-11 687,193

Departmental Official Cars

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost to the public purse was of (a) cars leased by his Department to staff and (b) ministerial chauffeurs in each year since 1997-98.

Simon Burns: Information on the costs of cars leased by the Department to staff since 1997-98 is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Regarding the costs of ministerial chauffeurs, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Bristol West (Stephen Williams) on 4 July 2011, Official Report, columns 1055-56W.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on hospitality for staff since 12 May 2010.

Simon Burns: The Department is unable to provide information on how much has been spent on hospitality for staff since 12 May 2010, as we do not collect information at this level of detail, it is not required for our statutory reporting and it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department's Code of Business Conduct states that a blanket ban on accepting or providing hospitality is neither practical nor desirable from a business point of view. However, there must be a real business benefit to providing or accepting hospitality, as public money must not be used to fund occasions such as social gatherings, retirement or office parties.
	This is in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Photographs

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on Ministerial photoshoots and videos since May 2010.

Simon Burns: Since May 2010, the Department has spent £537.43 on official photographs of Ministers and has incurred no costs for video.

Departmental Redundancy

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on redundancy costs since May 2010.

Simon Burns: The Department has not made any civil servant redundant since May 2010. However, we ran a voluntary exit scheme in January 2011, and have also released a small number of staff on pre-2010 terms under the principal civil service compensation scheme.
	The total cost of these pre-2010 terms exits between May 2010 and the end of the 2010-11 financial year was £492,039 for initial (year 1) costs and £790,627 set aside to cover future years’ annual compensation payments.
	The cost of the January 2011 exit scheme totalled £19,373,071, all accounted for in the 2010-11 financial year.
	There has been no central departmental spend so far on exits in 2011-12.

Departmental Stationery

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost to the public purse was of stationery purchased by his Department in each year from 1997-98.

Simon Burns: Information on stationery spend is not held centrally before 2006. Spend on stationery purchased through the stationery contract for the Department since 2006 is as follows:
	
		
			 April to March each year £ 
			 2005-06 1,648,905.29 
			 2006-07 1,472,923.37 
			 2007-08 776,550.73 
			 2008-09 690,632.74 
			 2009-10 404,888.66 
			 2010-11 231,049.81

Departmental Training

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on training for Ministers since 12 May 2010; and what the purpose was of such training.

Simon Burns: The Department has paid £500 on media training for one member of the ministerial team since 12 May 2010.

Departmental Travel

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse was for (a) first class and (b) all train travel by (i) staff, (ii) Ministers and (iii) special advisers in his Department in each year since 1997-98.

Simon Burns: Data from our central travel contracts is not available before April 2004. It is not possible to distinguish between the traveller without incurring disproportionate cost. The cost of first class rail travel and all rail travel from the central travel contract is as follows:
	
		
			 £ 
			 April to March each year First class rail Total rail spend 
			 2004-05 3,143,724 3,787,008 
			 2005-06 4,004,085 5,369,085 
			 2006-07 3,094,069 4,675,029 
			 2007-08 3,594,495 5,271,933 
			 2008-09 4,795,247 7,231,797 
			 2009-10 3,647,863 6,751,888 
			 2010-11 1,028,718 4,216,641

Departmental Visits Abroad

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many overseas visits were made by (a) Ministers, (b) staff and (c) special advisers in his Department in each year since 1997; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such visit.

Simon Burns: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

E. coli

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of E. coli there have been in the last five years.

Anne Milton: E. coli bloodstream infections are caused by a variety of strains of E. coli. Table 1 gives the numbers of bloodstream infections caused by E. coli each year for the last five years in England and Wales, reported under voluntary reporting arrangements. Due to a 36% increase in the number of reports between 2006 and 2010, from 1 June 2011 E. coli bloodstream infection data are collected by mandatory enhanced surveillance.
	
		
			 Table 1: E. coli bacteraemia annual totals for England and Wales, 2006-10 
			  E. coli bacteraemia 
			 2006 19,215 
			 2007 21,300 
			 2008 23,076 
			 2009 24,684 
			 2010 26,068 
		
	
	E. coli 0157 is an important cause of severe gastrointestinal disease. Table 2 gives the numbers of cases of E. coli 0157 each year for the last five years in England and Wales.
	
		
			 Table 2: E. coli 0157 annual totals for England and Wales, 2006-10 
			  Number of E. coli 0157 cases 
			 2006 1,001 
			 2007 828 
			 2008 950 
			 2009 1,034 
			 2010 793

E. coli

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to prevent an outbreak of E. coli.

Anne Milton: The UK Zoonoses, Animal Disease and Infections Group, a cross-Government multi-agency group, chaired by the chief medical officers of the four Administrations, continues to maintain policy oversight of E. coli 0157.
	Following the 2005 E. coli outbreak in South Wales, the Food Standards Agency established a comprehensive Food Hygiene Delivery Programme aimed at improving controls in food manufacture, provision of guidance for food businesses on controlling the risk of cross-contamination from E. coli 0157, securing enhanced training for enforcement officers involved in monitoring food businesses, and commissioning research to inform enforcement approaches.
	The Department has worked with the Health Protection Agency, Department for Food Environment and Rural Affairs and the Health and Safety Executive to produce new guidance for the public on avoiding infection when visiting open farms. This is published on the Health Protection Agency's website and is available to download as leaflets for use by operators of open farms. Also in collaboration with the Health and Safety Executive, revised guidance for operators of open farms has been published on preventing infection, particularly E. coli 0157 infection.
	In addition, new guidance has been published jointly by the Health Protection Agency, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health to raise awareness of general practitioners and other health care professionals about the importance of correct management and treatment of bloody diarrhoea in children.
	Information is provided for all pregnant women on avoiding infection which includes prevention of E. coli 0157 infection.

Epilepsy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions his Department has had with the Royal Colleges on information for epilepsy patients on the management of and risks associated with the condition;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy among those diagnosed with epilepsy;
	(3)  what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy;
	(4)  what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of avoidable epilepsy-related deaths in childhood following the National Sentinel Clinical Audit of Epilepsy-Related Deaths in 2002.

Paul Burstow: Detailed information for those living with epilepsy has been made available on the NHS Choices website at:
	www.nhs.uk/conditions/epilepsy/pages/introduction.aspx
	The NHS Choices website also includes information on sudden unexplained death in epilepsy highlighting the associated risk factors.
	The Department has concentrated in ensuring that those diagnosed with epilepsy have access to detailed information and quality service provision. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has produced clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, management and treatment of epilepsy. This guidance, published in October 2004, specifically covers the importance of informing patients and their families of the risks of sudden death in epilepsy.
	In response to the National Sentinel Clinical Audit, the then chief medical officer launched his Epilepsy Action Plan in February 2003, which addressed the key findings and recommendations of the clinical audit. The Epilepsy Action Plan was closely followed, in October 2004, by clinical guidelines from NICE and the National Service Framework for Long-Term Neurological Conditions, in March 2005.
	The Department has had no recent conversations with the Royal colleges on information for epilepsy patients on the management and risks associated with this condition.

General Practitioners: Standards

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will bring forward proposals to create a mandatory requirement for GPs to follow National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: We have no plans to do so.
	It is for clinicians to decide on the best treatment for their patients based on the patient's individual circumstances and taking any relevant guidance, including that from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), into account.
	Primary care trusts are legally obliged to fund drugs and treatments recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance, within three months of guidance being published, unless the requirement is waived in a specific case.
	In view of their complexity and because of the different states of readiness for implementation in the national health service, NICE clinical guidelines are not subject to the same statutory funding direction as NICE's technology appraisals.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the total amount of monies owed by foreign nationals that the NHS is in the process of attempting to recover.

Anne Milton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 5 July 2011, Official Report, column 1179W, by the Minister of State, Department of Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Mr Burns).
	The Department has not made an estimate of the total amount of monies owed by foreign nationals that the national health service is in the process of attempting to recover.
	Ministers announced on 18 March 2011 that the Government will conduct a full, wide-ranging review of the rules and practices relating to charging overseas visitors for using the NHS.

Health: Research

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much and what proportion of research expenditure by (a) the National Institute for Health Research and (b) the Medical Research Council has been spent in institutions located in (i) London, (ii) Oxford and Cambridge and (iii) the remainder of England in each of the last three years; and what the receiving institution was in respect of each grant or payment.

Simon Burns: Government investment in health research in England is made principally by the Department of Health, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, through the Medical Research Council (MRC).
	Research expenditure by the NIHR is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			  £ million % £ million % £ million % 
			 London 318.1 44.1 268.7 34.3 275.3 33.2 
			 Oxford 37.2 5.1 48.1 6.1 51.4 6.2 
			 Cambridge 39.5 5.5 42.8 5.5 43.7 5.2 
			 England excluding London, Oxford and Cambridge 318.9 44.2 414.2 52.9 447.3 53.9 
			 Outside England 8.2 1.1 9.2 1.2 12.2 1.5 
			 Total 721.9 100.0 783.0 100.0 829.9 100.0 
		
	
	Details of projects funded through programmes managed by the NIHR Central Commissioning Facility (CCF) can be found on the CCF website at:
	http://www.ccf.nihr.ac.uk/Pages/FundedProgrammes.aspx
	Details of projects funded through programmes managed by the NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Centre (NFTSCC) can be found on the NETSCC website at:
	www.netscc.ac.uk/
	Details of studies hosted by the NIHR Clinical Research Network can be found on the UK Clinical Research Network portfolio database at:
	http://public.ukcrn.org.uk/search
	Expenditure by the MRC in English regions, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and overseas is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  2007-03 2008-09 2009-10 
			  £000 % £000 % £000 % 
			 Total 543,003 100 646,628 100 698,191 100 
			 Grants 205,364 38 266,771 41 287,714 41 
			 Studentships 50,135 9 59,651 9 69,380 10 
			 of which Fellows 32,566 6 40,220 6 46,323 7 
			 of which Students 17,569 3 19,430 3 23,057 3 
			 Establishments/institutes 240,121 44 263,146 41 270,127 39 
			        
			 International subscriptions 12,379 2 15,316 2 17,812 3 
			 Central expenses 35,004 6 41,744 6 53,158 8 
			        
			 England 417,927 77 489,388 76 531,049 76 
			 Grants 180,881 33 229,527 35 253,418 36 
			 Studentships 41,711 8 48,455 7 56,737 8 
			 Establishments/institutes 195,335 36 211,406 33 220,894 32 
			 East England 86,059 16 96,428 15 99,591 14 
			 Grants 23,024 4 26,347 4 24,645 4 
			 Studentships 5,159 <1 7,038 1 7,119 1 
			 Establishments/institutes 57,877 11 63,043 10 67,826 10 
			 East Midlands 17,184 3 19,669 3 21,335 3 
			 Grants 6,229 1 7,997 1 10,312 1 
			 Studentships 1,216 <1 1,435 <1 1,324 <1 
			 Establishments/institutes 9,739 2 10,237 2 9,699 1 
			 London 166,862 31 200,998 31 212,013 30 
			 Grants 56,414 10 77,205 12 83,363 12 
			 Studentships 17,584 3 19,453 3 21,371 3 
			 Establishments/institutes 92,863 17 104,340 16 107,279 15 
			 North East 6,104 1 7,820 1 7,668 1 
			 Grants 4,991 <1 6,561 1 6,456 <1 
			 Studentships 1,114 <1 1,259 <1 1,212 <1 
			 Establishments/institutes 0 <1 0 <1 0 <r 
			 North West 31,889 6 29,179 5 32,805 5 
			 Grants 28,805 5 25,687 4 29,647 4 
			 Studentships 3,084 <1 3,492 <1 3,158 <1 
			 Establishments/institutes 0 <1 0 <1 0 <1 
			 South East 76,576 14 96,465 15 89,913 13 
			 Grants 36,839 7 54,900 8 45,906 7 
			 Studentships 6,737 1 7,868 1 7,967 1 
			 Establishments/institutes 33,000 6 33,697 5 36,040 5 
			 South West 12,503 2 14,770 2 14,561 2 
			 Grants 8,607 2 12,606 2 12,262 2 
			 Studentships 2,040 <1 2,075 <1 2,250 <1 
			 Establishments/institutes 1,857 <1 89 <1 49 <1 
			 West Midlands 10,352 2 12,615 2 19,286 3 
			 Grants 7,677 1 9,606 1 17,204 2 
			 Studentships 2,675 <1 3,009 <1 2,082 <1 
			 Establishments/institutes 0 <1 0 <1 0 <1 
			 Yorkshire 10,398 2 11,445 2 33,875 5 
			 Grants 8,296 2 8,619 1 23,623 3 
			 Studentships 2,102 <1 2,826 <1 10,253 1 
			 Establishments/institutes 0 <1 0 <1 0 <1 
			        
			 Scotland 50,797 9 64,642 10 65,827 9 
			 Grants 18,265 3 26,632 4 25,712 4 
			 Studentships 6,955 1 9,122 1 10,834 2 
			 Establishments/institutes 25,577 5 28,888 4 29,281 4 
			        
			 Wales 5,906 1 7,744 1 8,824 1 
			 Grants 4,755 <1 5,772 <1 7,090 1 
			 Studentships 1,151 <1 1,972 <1 1,734 <1 
		
	
	
		
			 Establishments/institutes 0 <1 0 <1 0 <1 
			        
			 Northern Ireland 860 <1 1,254 <1 1,478 <1 
			 Grants 795 <1 1,168 <1 1,408 <1 
			 Studentships 65 <1 86 <1 70 <1 
			 Establishments/institutes 0 <1 0 <1 0 <1 
			        
			 Overseas 20,131 4 26,540 4 20,044 3 
			 Grants 670 <1 3,672 <1 86 <1 
			 Studentships 253 <1 16 <1 5 <1 
			 Establishments/institutes 19,208 4 22,852 4 19,953 3 
			 Notes: 1. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding. 2. Data for 2010-11 are not yet available. 
		
	
	Details of current and recent MRC research funding can be found on the MRC research portfolio database at:
	www.mrc.ac.uk/ResearchPortfolio/index.htm

Heatstroke

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were treated in hospital for heatstroke between 2005 and 2010; and how many deaths there were from heatstroke in that period.

Anne Milton: The following table gives the number of finished consultant episodes of those treated in hospital with a primary diagnosis of heatstroke or sunstroke from 2005-06 to 2009-10.
	
		
			 Number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) (1)  with a primary diagnosis of ‘heatstroke and sunstroke’ (2) , 2005-06 to 2009-10 (3) 
			 Activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  FCEs 
			 2009-10 61 
			 2008-09 35 
			 2007-08 41 
			 2006-07 110 
			 2005-06 70 
			 (1) Finished consultant episode (FCE). A FCE is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. (2 )Primary diagnosis: The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. ICD-10 codes used: T67.0 Heatstroke and sunstroke (3 )Assessing growth through time: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care 
		
	
	The following table provides the number of deaths where the heatstroke or sunstroke was the cause of death in England, for 2005 to 2010 (the latest year available). It should be noted that heatstroke does not appear as the primary underlying cause of death, as the primary cause field in such cases is used to indicate the mode of death (e.g. accident, suicide). Deaths with a cause of heatstroke and sunstroke are therefore identified by the appearance of ICD-10 code T67.0 in the secondary cause field.
	
		
			 Number of deaths with a cause of heatstroke or sunstroke, England, 2005 - 10 (1, 2, 3, 4) , all persons 
			  Deaths 
			 2005 0 
			 2006 3 
			 2007 1 
			 2008 1 
			 2009 0 
			 (1 )Cause of death from heatstroke and sunstroke was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code T67.0, where this code appeared as the secondary cause. (2 )Figures exclude deaths of non-residents. (3 )Boundaries assigned using the May 2011 National Statistics Postcode Directory. (4 )Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Heroin: Offenders

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2011, Official Report, column 1180W, on heroin offenders, if he will make it his policy to routinely collect data on the number and proportion of prisoners who take a heroin overdose within two weeks of their release which results in (a) emergency treatment and (b) death; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The Government currently have no plans to introduce central reporting on heroin overdoses following release from prison. Hospital accident and emergency services will not ordinarily be aware of a patient's legal history and whether he or she had recently been released from prison. Disclosing this information would require a resourced evaluation with ethical approval and specific patient consent.

Hotels

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse was of (a) four star, (b) five star and (c) other hotel accommodation for (i) staff, (ii) Ministers and (iii) special advisers in his Department in each year since 1997-98.

Simon Burns: Data from our central contracts are not available before April 2006. It is not possible to distinguish between the class of hotel or traveller without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The cost of hotel accommodation from the central contract data are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 April 2006 to March 2007 447,318.79 
			 April 2007 to March 2008 1,247,608.81 
			 April 2008 to March 2009 1,633,839.11 
			 April 2009 to March 2010 1,752,877.82 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 1,327,827.22 
			 April 2011 to date 189,924.52

Infectious Diseases

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were treated for infectious tropical diseases in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The Health Protection Agency (HPA) collects data on reported cases of tropical infectious diseases of public health significance such as cholera, leprosy, malaria, yellow fever, chikungunya, dengue fever, filariasis, Japanese encephalitis, schistosomiasis and trypanosomiasis. Their epidemiological data on travel-related tropical infections is published on the HPA's website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/TravelHealth/EpidemiologicalData/

Liver Diseases

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) remit, (b) budget and (c) timetable for reporting is of the National Clinical Director for Liver Disease.

Simon Burns: Professor Martin Lombard was recruited as the National Clinical Director for Liver Disease in January 2010. His remit was to provide clinical leadership to the development of a national strategy for liver disease that matches measures designed to achieve quality improvement (and improvements in outcomes for patients) with the identification of where the national health service might release resources to support them. The National Liver Strategy will be an integrated programme, recommending actions to improve the prevention, identification, treatment, care and support of people with liver disease within evidence-based and dignity assured standards of care. Professor Lombard’s budget for this task (net of core staffing costs) has been £560,000 in 2010-11, and £224,440 in 2011-12.
	As previously announced, Professor Lombard is working towards a timetable of publishing a draft strategy in autumn 2011.

Lung Cancer: Health Services

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that the updated National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer is adopted by all NHS trusts.

Paul Burstow: It is the responsibility of national health service trusts to take account of the updated clinical guidance on the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in April 2011. This best practice guidance, developed through wide consultation, is intended to support clinicians in clinical practice but does not replace their knowledge and skills in managing patients.
	NICE is developing Quality Standards for a number of cancers, including lung cancer, which will act as markers of high quality, cost-effective patient care in the reformed NHS. The NICE Lung Cancer Quality Standard will be based on the updated NICE lung cancer clinical guideline.

Lung Cancer: Health Services

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients with a lung cancer diagnosis in (a) Knowsley Primary Care Trust and (b) England were given easy-to-understand written information about lung cancer at the time of their diagnosis in each year since 2000;
	(2)  how many patients with a lung cancer diagnosis in (a) Knowsley Primary Care Trust and (b) England were given a choice of different types of treatment for their condition before their treatment started in each year since 2000.

Paul Burstow: This information is not held in the format requested. The National Cancer Patient Experience Survey, published in December 2010, recorded the responses of over 60,000 cancer patients in England, from the ages of 16 and upwards, to a wide range of questions.
	These questions included those concerning the provision of written information and the offer of a choice of treatment. The response of lung cancer patients to questions on these issues has been presented nationally and by trusts serving the Knowsley area as shown in the table.
	The survey did not report data where fewer than 20 people in a particular group answered a particular question.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			 Trust Lung cancer patients reporting being given written information about the type of cancer they had Lung cancer patients reporting being given a choice of different types of treatment 
			 England 61 81 
			 St Helen's and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust n/a n/a 
			 Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHS Foundation Trust 58 n/a 
			 Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust n/a n/a

Mass Media

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost to the public purse was of his Department's national media coverage evaluations in each month since May 1997.

Simon Burns: The Department does not hold central records on the cost of media coverage evaluation and attempting to gather information for each month since 1997 would incur disproportionate costs.

Medical Equipment

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse was of the cases brought by his Department and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency against Jbol Ltd and Mr Orde Levinson between February 2009 and June 2011.

Simon Burns: As a matter of course, a set of costs are sought from investigators at the close of each prosecution. These are added to the legal office costs to reach a total. If a defendant is convicted, there would normally be an application for prosecution costs. If the defendant is acquitted, there is no application for costs. As Mr Levinson and Jbol Ltd were acquitted, the costs schedule was prepared but was never presented to the court. The costs up to that date were £45,260.41. No costs have been calculated for the other case where a prosecution was not pursued.

Myeloid Leukaemia: Medical Treatments

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to reach a decision on the use of second-line treatments for chronic myeloid leukaemia.

Paul Burstow: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently appraising dasatinib, high-dose imatinib and nilotinib for the treatment of imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia and dasatinib and nilotinib for people with chronic myeloid leukaemia for whom treatment with imatinib has failed because of intolerance.
	We understand that NICE currently expects to issue its final guidance to the national health service in September 2011, subject to any appeal.

NHS Direct: Freeview Service

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of providing NHS Direct through Freeview in each financial year since the introduction of the service.

Simon Burns: The information requested is available in the following table:
	
		
			 Cost of NHS Direct interactive on digital television 
			  £000 
			 2006-07 4,077 
			 2007-08 4,491 
			 2008-09 3,276 
			 Note: The figures in the table include the cost of providing NHS direct interactive on both Freeview and Sky Digital satellite TV. Source: NHS Direct Annual Reports 2006-07—2008-09 
		
	
	NHS Direct Interactive was launched on Freeview on 20 December 2006. NHS Direct stopped providing this service on 1 April 2009, and the service was transferred to NHS Choices.

NHS: Incentives

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the total expenditure incurred through the payment of clinical excellence awards in respect of (a) the money paid as awards and (b) the resultant pensions liability in each year since 1997-98.

Simon Burns: Clinical excellence awards were introduced in 2003 as a replacement for distinction awards. The total national health service spend in England for national clinical excellence and distinction awards for the last financial years for which figures are available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Financial year Spend (£ million) 
			 2003-04 150 
			 2004-05 172 
			 2005-06 179 
			 2006-07 178 
			 2007-08 190 
			 2008-09 180 
			 2009-10 202 
			 2010-11 203.5 
			 Notes: 1. These costs include monies for employer contributions to national insurance and pensions. 2. The information above does not include information on local clinical excellence awards (employer based awards) which are paid by trusts. This information is not held centrally. 3. The information above does not include national clinical excellence awards that are paid from central funds to consultants holding a national health service contract and employed in the Department or arms length bodies. 4. The reduction in expenditure in 2008-09 reflected a scrutiny exercise which identified a number of consultants who had retired without notifying the Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards (any excess payments in 2007-08 were to trusts only and those monies were available for patient care. No consultants received payment to which they were not entitled). 
		
	
	The requested information regarding pensions liability is not available. This information is not held centrally.

NHS: Incentives

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether his Department has contributed towards the funding of any NHS awards recognising employee achievement in any year since 1997; what the names and dates of any such awards are; and what the cost to the public purse for any such awards has been (a) in total and (b) in respect of (i) advertising, (ii) associated awards ceremonies and (iii) prize money in each such year;
	(2)  whether his Department has provided advice to (a) NHS trusts and (b) the NHS Institute for Innovation on the benefits of (i) operating and (ii) funding NHS awards; and if he will publish any such advice.

Simon Burns: There are a number of national and local awards aimed at various groups of staff, some of which are for recognising employee achievements. Of these awards, the Department has identified the following as awards to which we contribute funding and are able to provide information on without incurring disproportionate costs (for example for some awards data may not be held centrally):
	Clinical Excellence Awards were introduced in 2003 as a replacement for Distinction Awards. The total national health service spend in England for national clinical excellence and distinction awards for the last financial years for which figures are available is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Spend (£ million) 
			 2003-04 150 
			 2004-05 172 
			 2005-06 179 
			 2006-07 178 
			 2007-08 190 
			 2008-09 180 
			 2009-10 202 
			 2010-11 203.5 
			 Notes: 1. These costs include monies for employer contributions to national insurance and pensions. 2. The financial cost of national awards comes from the NHS bundle and is ring-fenced for this purpose. Funding for Employer Based Awards is built into the baseline funding that the trust receives to cover staffing etc. It is not separately identifiable, and is not reflected in the information above. 3. The information above does not include national clinical excellence awards that are paid from central funds to consultants holding a national health service contract and employed in the Department or arm's length bodies. 4. The reduction in expenditure in 2008-09 reflected a scrutiny exercise which identified a number of consultants who had retired without notifying the Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards (any excess payments in 2007-08 were to Trusts only and those monies were available for patient care. No consultants received payment to which they were not entitled). 
		
	
	The total cost to the public purse for the NHS Leadership Awards was:
	2009 (the start up year): £381,605.59
	2010: £173,068.91
	£80,000 was raised in sponsorship in both 2009 and 2010 and covered the full cost of food and beverage, room hire and audio visuals for the award ceremonies. There were no advertising and PR costs. All communications were delivered by the project lead in-house.
	National Leadership Council bursaries were awarded to each winner and runner up of the awards, totalling:
	2009: £290,000
	2010: £380,000
	The Health and Social Care Awards have been run since 2001, aimed at celebrating innovation in the provision of healthcare, with the NHS Institute funding the award from 2009.
	We are currently making inquiries into the funding prior to 2009 and will write to inform you of the results. A copy will also be placed in the Library.
	The Department has no record of providing formal advice to the NHS Institute or to NHS trusts on the benefits of operating or funding of awards outside the advice given on Clinical Excellence Awards.
	The Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards (ACCEA) issues guides to the Clinical Excellence Awards scheme annually. This is updated before the start of each awards round. There is a specific guide relating to Employer Based Awards (local awards) which are administered and decided at local level, along with a set of guides relating to the national scheme. This information is openly available to NHS trusts via the ACCEA website. The secretariat also offers advice and assistance on an ad hoc basis via e-mail and telephone.

NHS: Incentives

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse was for the NHS Leadership Awards (a) in total and (b) for (i) departmental administration costs, (ii) food and beverage at the awards ceremony, (iii) room hire for the awards ceremony, (iv) any audio and visual costs for the award ceremony and (v) departmental advertising and PR costs in each year since their inception; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse for all NHS trusts of participating in the awards in each such year.

Simon Burns: The total cost to the public purse for the NHS Leadership Awards was:
	2009 (the start up year): £381,605.59
	2010: £173,068.91
	The above costs include the departmental administration costs, including the salary costs for the project lead. These were:
	2009: £57,967.00
	2010: £60,575.52
	£80,000 was raised in sponsorship in both 2009 and 2010 and covered the full cost of food and beverage, room hire and audio visuals for the award ceremonies. There were no advertising and PR costs. All communications were delivered by the project lead in-house.
	No information is held centrally on the cost to the public purse for national health service trusts of participating in the awards.

NHS: Negligence

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths attributed to (a) medical negligence and (b) malpractice were recorded in each year from 1997 to 2010.

Simon Burns: The following table shows the number of claims notified to the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) against its scheme members that involved fatalities from 1997 to 2010.
	
		
			 Number 
			 NHSLA notification year Clinical claims Non-clinical claims 
			 1997-98 223 n/a 
			 1998-99 659 n/a 
			 1999-2000 458 4 
			 2000-01 514 9 
			 2001-02 655 2 
			 2002-03 697 9 
			 2003-04 628 8 
			 2004-05 645 4 
			 2005-06 654 10 
			 2006-07 640 10 
			 2007-08 712 8 
			 2008-09 758 7 
			 2009-10 903 12 
			 2010-11 1,141 8 
			 Notes: 1. The year that the claim is notified is not necessarily the year that the fatality occurred. 2. The data include all clinical negligence claims not just those pertaining to doctors (medical). They do not include claims against self-employed practitioners in primary care, such as general practitioners, dentists and pharmacists, who are not members of the NHSLA's schemes. 3. The NHSLA does not record malpractice as a specific cause of injury. It has therefore supplied data relating to all non-clinical claims that involved fatalities. These claims may include public and employer liability claims, as well as other types of claims by third parties. Source: NHSLA, July 2011.

NHS: Training

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish his review of the NHS bursary.

Simon Burns: The outcome of the review of the national health service bursary scheme was published on 18 July 2011. The outcome of the review is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Managingyourorganisation/Workforce/WorkingintheNHS/DH_128397

Southern Cross Healthcare

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on cross-departmental oversight of developments at Southern Cross care homes;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to monitor the transfer of Southern Cross care homes to new management;
	(3)  if he will take steps to guarantee continuity of care for Southern Cross care home residents in their present homes;
	(4)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local managers of Southern Cross care homes are supported during the transfer of homes to new management.

Paul Burstow: Departmental officials are in regular contact with their counterparts in other Government Departments and the devolved Administrations regarding this issue. Ministers are being kept fully briefed by their officials.
	The Department is in regular contact with all parties, including Southern Cross and its landlords and is monitoring the transfer of the company’s homes to alternative providers of care closely. It is for the Care Quality Commission (CQC), as the regulator, to approve and register alternative providers of care in Southern Cross homes. The CQC is committed to processing applications efficiently to help ensure continuity of care for residents of Southern Cross homes, but has made it clear that it will not change the regulatory bar or reduce the rigour of the registration process.
	The Government’s overriding concern is the welfare and safety of the 31,000 residents in Southern Cross care homes. We have made it clear that, whatever the outcome of the restructuring process, no one will find themselves homeless or without care.
	It is for Southern Cross and its landlords to support local managers during the transfer of the company’s care homes to new management. The statement issued by Southern Cross on 11 July makes it clear that the company, its landlords and lenders appreciate their responsibilities to residents and staff of the company’s homes. All parties have given a clear commitment that the continuity of care will be paramount during the transfer process. Southern Cross has undertaken in a letter to care home staff that they will transfer to new operators with their existing terms and conditions.
	Local authorities are already working to ensure that they can assist in the transfer of arrangements in respect of homes in their areas. The Department has been working with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and the Local Government Association to support that process.
	I have today issued a written ministerial statement updating the House.

Third Sector

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the name is of each charity and voluntary organisation Ministers in his Department have visited since 12 May 2010.

Simon Burns: The information requested could be provided only in full at disproportionate cost.
	However, we can confirm that the Secretary of State and other Ministers at the Department have visited a wide range of charities and voluntary organisations since May 2010.

Trauma: Health Services

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients have been treated in each of the major trauma centres in London in each month since they were established; and what injury severity scores were recorded for each patient;
	(2)  how many patients have died in each of the major trauma centres in London in each month since they were established; and what injury severity scores were recorded for each patient.

Simon Burns: These data are not held centrally by the Department. The number of trauma cases a hospital receives and a risk adjusted rate of survival are available on the Trauma Audit and Research Network website at:
	www.tarn.ac.uk

Treatment Centres

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were treated in independent treatment centres in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: Data on independent sector treatment centres (ISTC) patient numbers are not collected centrally. Data on numbers of procedures are however held. The following table shows the total number of procedures undertaken by ISTCs. These figures include mobile ophthalmology, elective ISTC procedures and each renal dialysis treatment.
	
		
			 Procedures 
			  Total 
			 2006 57,146 
			 2007 93,091 
			 2008 170,634 
			 2009 241,505 
			 2010 235,397 
			 2006-10 797,773

Tuberculosis

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of tuberculosis were recorded by his Department in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: The latest available information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of tuberculosis cases reported in England, 2005-09 
			  Number of cases 
			 2005 7,691 
			 2006 7,720 
			 2007 7,626 
			 2008 7,942 
			 2009 8,286 
			 Note: Data for 2010 are due to be available in November 2011. Source: Health Protection Agency

TRANSPORT

Air Travel Trust Fund

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of capital reserves held by the Air Travel Trust Fund; and if he will take account of this assessment as part of his consultation on the future of the ATOL scheme;
	(2)  what recent advice he has received on the future level of ATOL Protection Contributions;
	(3)  whether he plans to reassess the timetable for the Air Travel Trust Fund to return to surplus; and if he will take account of any such reassessment as part of his consultation on the future of the ATOL scheme.

Theresa Villiers: On 23 June 2011, the Government announced their consultation on reforms to the ATOL scheme, with the objective of providing greater clarity for consumers and also to put the scheme's finances back on a self-sustaining basis.
	The Air Travel Trust Fund (ATTF) meets the costs of refunds and repatriation assistance provided to the consumers of insolvent ATOL licensed businesses. It is financed through a mix of income from ATOL Protection Contributions (APC—currently £2.50 per booking), bank facilities and an insurance policy. Underpinning this, the Government have provided a guarantee for part of the bank facilities, currently up to £42 million. These arrangements provide access to £70 million which should be sufficient to meet all demands placed on the fund. The insurance policy has an annual limit of £300 million, with an excess of £50 million, available in the event of the failure of one or more major ATOL licensed businesses.
	There are no plans to increase the APC, which would require prior consultation by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and approval by the Secretary of State for Transport.
	The latest published accounts of the ATTF show that it was in deficit by £42.3 million as of 31 March 2011. The CAA believes that the ATTF should return to surplus within three years of the proposed reforms being introduced. The actual timing depends on factors such as the cost of future insolvencies of ATOL licensed businesses and the actual income from APC payments, both of which are difficult to predict with certainty. The proposed reforms should allow the Government guarantee to be withdrawn and the fund to return to a fully financially self-sustaining basis without the need for taxpayer support.

Aviation: Security

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment his Department has made of airport security.

Theresa Villiers: Officials from the Department continuously assess airport security through inspections of airports and airlines and meetings with representatives from the industry. We have recently published a consultation on reforming the regulation of aviation security which can be viewed in the following link:
	http://assets.dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-2011-21/dft-2011-21-consultation.pdf

Biofuels

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to raise awareness of (a) the value of waste cooking oil from catering establishments for biofuels and (b) the effects of theft of such cooking oil from such establishments.

Norman Baker: holding answer 5 July 2011
	We recognise that biofuel made from used cooking oil is an important sustainable transport fuel as it both reduces waste and, by replacing fossil fuels, reduces greenhouse gas emissions from transport. We are currently considering how best to promote the value of used cooking oil from catering establishments to produce biodiesel.
	We are also currently considering responses to a consultation proposing to amend the renewable transport fuels obligation to meet the requirements of the European renewable energy directive. These proposals include providing additional support for used cooking oil biofuel by awarding two renewable transport fuel certificates to each litre of such fuel supplied: Crop-based biofuels will continue to get one certificate per litre, as long as they meet the mandatory sustainability standard.
	We recognise that the growing market for used cooking oil to be used for biofuel means that what was once just a waste product now has a value. However, policy on theft is a matter for the Home Office.

Bus Services: Rural Areas

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his most recent estimate is of the projected level of access to local bus services in rural communities in each of the next four financial years.

Norman Baker: We have estimated that the planned reduction in Bus Service Operators Grant from April 2012 will result in a 2% reduction in bus service mileage in rural areas. The level of tendered services provided is a matter for the relevant local authority.
	Statistics on the availability of bus services in rural areas can be found on the Department website at the following address:
	http://www2.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/nts/accessibility-service/nts0801.xls
	Statistics on the accessibility of key services by public transport in rural areas can be found on the Department website at the following address:
	http://assets.dft.gov.uk/statistics/worksheets/acs0102.xls

Channel Tunnel Railway Line: Freight

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has discussed in the Council of Ministers the level of charges for freight trains using the channel tunnel; and what meetings he has had with the French Government to discuss this matter.

Theresa Villiers: The level of charging is a commercial matter for Eurotunnel and the freight operators. No ministerial discussions have taken place with the French Government on this issue.

Channel Tunnel Railway Line: Stratford

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of introducing international passenger services to Stratford on the High Speed One line.

Theresa Villiers: None. This is a commercial matter for rail service providers.

Channel Tunnel: Contracts

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was paid to Eurotunnel for (a) usage contracts and (b) back-to-back contracts in each year since the opening of the channel tunnel.

Theresa Villiers: All payments made from the British Railways Board (BRB) to Eurotunnel relate to the Channel Tunnel Rail Usage Contract. Eurotunnel is not a party to the associated UK-side back-to-back contract so receives no payments through it.
	The British Railways Board (BRB) is the UK “rail” party to the Channel Tunnel Rail Usage Contract (RUC contractual payments are made on BRB's behalf by the Department for Transport (DFT)). It then receives a refund from the UK-side RUC passenger operator (Eurostar) under the terms of the back-to-back contract. Different arrangements apply to rail freight. Here DFT pays what is—in effect—the fixed element of the RUC charges with no refund being payable from the freight operators. This arrangement is the subject of an agreement struck in 2006 which both kept freight trains running through the channel tunnel and opened up rail freight access on the route.
	Payments under these agreements since 2008-09 are set out in the following table. Figures for prior years are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Financial year D F T payments to Eurotunnel under Rail Usage Contract (RUC) Eurost ar payments to  D F T under back-to-back agreement Net payment to Eurotunnel 
			 2008-09 100.8 94 6.8 
			 2009-10 107.4 99.5 7.9 
			 2010-11 180.4 159.8 20.6

Cycling

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to promote the cycle to work scheme in (a) Derby North constituency, (b) Derbyshire and (c) the UK.

Norman Baker: The Department has traditionally promoted both the cycle to work scheme and the cycle to work guarantee to employers, employees and other Government Departments across the country through a number of departmental led promotions and projects. The Department also funds the National Business Travel Network (NBTN). NBTN launched a DFT part funded 'ways2work' tool kit in November 2010 to help people and businesses work more efficiently. The tool kit includes a section on encouraging cycling to work.
	Most recently the cycle to work Scheme has been promoted through guidance to the members of the Physical Activity Network which is part of the Department for Health led Public Health Responsibility Deal. I have also provided a foreword in support of the Cycle to Work Alliance's Behavioural Impact Analysis.
	Finally, the results of bids for Tranche 1 of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund were released on 5 July 2011, many of which included elements relating to cycling to work.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost of installing automatic number plate recognition technology at the Dartford Crossing.

Michael Penning: holding answer 18 July 2011
	Cost estimates for the free-flow charging scheme at Dartford Crossing are in the process of being developed. The cost of automatic number plate recognition technology is a small part of the overall infrastructure and technology requirements needed to support a free-flow charging operation.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on the number of (a) cars, (b) vans and (c) multi-axle heavy goods vehicles that paid a toll at the Dartford Crossing in each financial year since 2001-02.

Michael Penning: The number of cars, vans and multi-axle heavy goods vehicles that have used the crossing since 2001-02 is as follows:
	
		
			 Dartford crossing: Breakdown of vehicles by type 
			  Cars Vans HGVS Total 
			 2001-02 38,372,279 7,337,210 5,483,519 51,193,008 
			 2002-03 38,598,968 7,651,471 5,753,094 52,003,533 
			 2003-04 39,684,414 7,909,991 5,928,606 53,523,011 
			 2004-05 39,739,070 8,132,895 6,124,459 53,996,424 
			 2005-06 39,580,801 8,328,855 6,206,956 54,116,612 
			 2006-07 38,890,946 8,281,527 6,062,856 53,235,329 
			 2007-08 38,263,879 8,297,892 6,285,962 52,847,733 
			 2008-09 33,885,615 7,106,653 4,873,771 45,866,039 
			 2009-10 33,644,109 6,702,135 4,721,919 45,068,163 
			 2010-11 32,593,347 6,733,069 4,825,743 44,152,159 
		
	
	These figures include exempt and free passage vehicles. Prior to 13 September 2009 it was not possible to exclude vehicles exempt from the charge from the figures.
	From 2008-09 the figures are reduced because vehicles are no longer charged to use the crossing between 10 pm and 6 am.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration was given to suspending Dartford Crossing tolls on (a) 8 and (b) 9 July 2011 under the protocol in force from 1 July 2011.

Michael Penning: On 8 July the Blackwall Tunnel was closed due to an incident and the diversion route via the Dartford Crossing led to high levels of additional traffic both north and southbound at the Crossing. On 9 July no significant incidents were recorded in the proximity of the Dartford Crossing, although traffic levels were high.
	On both days traffic levels were monitored by the Highways Agency but did not meet the specified criteria for severe congestion set out in the operational protocol being trialled. The crossing charge was therefore not suspended.

Departmental Air Travel

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what occasions he has flown on official business (a) by budget airline and (b) in economy class in the last 12 months.

Philip Hammond: In the last 12 months I have taken one economy class flight to Luxembourg on official business. I have made no other flights on official business in this period.

Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has a policy on requirements for the provision of (a) apprenticeships and (b) other training by (i) his Department's prime contractors and (ii) suppliers in the supply chain of such contractors.

Norman Baker: The Department does not have such a policy.
	However in response to two Procurement Policy Notes on “Promoting skills through procurement” and “Embedding skills, training and apprenticeships through public procurement”, the Highways Agency (HA) Board offered a target to deliver up to 100 new apprenticeships through its new procurement activity by December 2012.
	The target of 100 new apprenticeships by December 2012 will be delivered through a combination of shaping supply chain direction via its Strategic Alignment Tool (StART); strengthening contract requirements for Major Improvement and Maintenance Contracts to increase focus on skills planning and opportunity, and by encouraging HA Suppliers to sign up to a Skills Pledge to invest in the skills and training of their workforce.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the carbon dioxide emissions from his Department in (a) June 2010 and (b) June 2011.

Norman Baker: Between 14 May 2010 and 13 May 2011 the Department for Transport delivered a non-weather corrected reduction of 11.2% in carbon dioxide emissions from its office estate. Under the Green Government commitments, it is now committed to deliver a 25% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2014-15.
	It is estimated that from the office estate for June 2010 the Department for Transport non-weather corrected emissions amounted to some 1,545 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
	The Department for Transport is still collating and validating its emission data for June 2011.

Freedom of Information Requests

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many requests under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 his Department received from (a) hon. Members from each political party and (b) members of the public in each year since the Act's entry into force.

Norman Baker: The Department does not assemble statistics about the background of individual requesters. This is because the Freedom of Information Act is applicant and motive blind.
	The Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the volume, timeliness and outcome of information requests received by over 40 central Government bodies.

Departmental Lost Property

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what property has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost of replacement was.

Norman Baker: The figures provided here are for items recorded centrally as lost or stolen in the last 12 months, for the entire Department, including its agencies and shared service centre.
	The central Department requires monthly reports from agency security teams of all items that are reported as either lost or stolen. All staff are required to report any loss involving departmental property to their local security teams.
	However, the figures in the table do not include thefts or losses where records are not available centrally or where such incidents were not reported. While some of this information may exist in records held locally within the central Department and the agencies, I regret that it can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department takes seriously any loss or theft of its property and takes appropriate action on a case-by-case basis.
	The property recorded as lost and stolen in the last 12 months is as follows, and where we have the estimated replacement costs, this is shown alongside.
	
		
			 Item (a) Lost (b) Stolen Total estimate cost of replacement (£) 
			 BlackBerrys 19 10 6,815 
			 Laptops 6 14 20,800 
			 USB flash drives 7 2 495 
		
	
	
		
			 Encryption tokens 46 2 1,440 
			 BlackBerry chargers 2 0 24 
			 PC 0 1 800 
			 Mobile phones 12 2 (1)— 
			 Other IT equipment 5 5 (1)— 
			 Personal items (such as jewellery and cash) 13 3 (1)— 
			 Non personal items 8 1 (1)— 
			 Total 118 40 30,379 
			 (1) Unavailable.

Departmental Procurement

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with his Department in each of the last three years.

Norman Baker: From January 2010 to April 2011, 76 new apprenticeships have been let directly by Highways Agency (HA) contracts. Prior to January 2010 this information was not collected.

Departmental Procurement

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of procurement contracts offered by his Department have been advertised on the Contracts Finder website since the website's inception.

Norman Baker: My Department has published 56% of its contracts on the Contracts Finder website since its inception. The remaining 44% were below the threshold requiring publication.

Redundancy

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much (a) his Department and (b) each non-departmental body for which he is responsible has spent on redundancies since May 2010.

Norman Baker: The following table shows the amount the Department for Transport and each non-departmental body has spent on redundancies since May 2010.
	
		
			  Redundancy costs (£) 
			 Department for Transport 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Non-departmental bodies 1,922,211 
		
	
	These figures are for compulsory redundancies only and do not include exits under voluntary schemes.

Business Regulation

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many regulations his Department has introduced (a) in the six months prior to 1 September 2010 and (b) in the six months after 1 September 2010 which it has determined do not impose costs on businesses.

Michael Penning: There were 32 statutory instruments made in the six months prior to 1 September 2010 that imposed no costs on business (21 of these were made by the previous Administration).
	There were 29 statutory instruments made in the six months after 1 September 2010 that imposed no costs on business.
	The Government's policy is to consider alternatives to regulation. A list of regulatory measures introduced in the first half of 2011 can be found in the Statement of New Regulation in the Libraries of the House.
	Local and temporary regulations have not been considered for the purposes of this answer as doing so could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Business Regulation

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many regulations that impose costs on businesses his Department has (a) introduced and (b) removed since 1 September 2010; what the net effect on the costs on businesses of such introductions and removals was; and what regulations have been excluded from the one-in one-out system because they address (i) emergencies and (ii) systemic financial risks since 1 September 2010.

Michael Penning: Four statutory instruments were made by the Department in the period September 2010 to June 2011 (inclusive) which imposed costs on business, charities or the voluntary or public sector. Of the four, three had an overall net benefit. The other imposed an overall net cost.
	Although it is not possible, except at disproportionate cost, to break down the costs as between business, charities and the voluntary or public sector for each of the instruments, I set out in the following table the four instruments giving general comments on whom, on the basis of the impact assessments prepared for the instruments, the costs were expected to fall.
	
		
			 Title Comment No Origin Net cost (£ million) Net benefit (£ million) 
			 Motor Fuel (Composition and Content) and Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 Cost mainly on suppliers 2010 No. 3035 EU 357 — 
			 Mandatory Travel Concession (England) Regulations 2011 Costs on bus operators—benefits are to Government and travel concession authorities. There is a net cost to bus operators of £0.004 million 2011 No. 1121 Domestic — 0.65 
			 Airports Slot Allocation (Amendment) Regulations 2011 Costs to airports, savings to airlines and passengers 2011 No. 1610 Domestic — 11.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Cleaner Road Transport Vehicles Regulations 2011 Net costs to business are estimated to be small. Level of both costs and benefits very uncertain 2011 No. 1631 EU — 421 
		
	
	In total, the four instruments have a net cost of £357 million and a net benefit of £432.75 million giving an overall net benefit of £75.75 million.
	Nine statutory instruments were revoked in their entirety during this period as were articles 4 to 7 of the Yarmouth (Isle of Wight) Harbour Revision (Constitution) Order 2001. The instrument making this latter change also repealed section 14 of the Pier and Harbour Orders (Cowes and Yarmouth (Isle of Wight)) Confirmation Act 1931.
	Six of the measures revoked were originally made (or in the case of the 1931 Act, passed) before the system for publishing impact assessments was put in place. Providing further information in relation to the costs of these measures could only be done at disproportionate cost. The other five measures were made when the system of publishing impact assessments was in place but no impact assessment was prepared for them, so it may be assumed that these measures were thought to have no impact on business.
	Local and temporary instruments have not been considered for the purposes of answering this question as to do so would incur disproportionate costs.
	The one-in, one-out regulatory management system, although announced in September, did not come into force until January 2011.
	A list of regulatory measures introduced or removed in the first half of 2011 can be found in the Statement of New Regulation in the Libraries of the House.
	No regulations were excluded from the one-in one-out system because they addressed emergencies or systemic financial risks.

Business Regulation

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what process his Department follows for the production of regulatory guidance; and how many officials of his Department were involved in the production of such guidance on the last date for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport is committed to following the Better Regulation Executive's Code of Practice on Guidance on Regulation.
	Guidance is produced by policy teams across the Department, working with stakeholders and regulators. This forms an integral part of the normal processes for developing policy and is not a separate task. It is not possible therefore to identify how many officials are involved in its production.

Departmental Responsibilities

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many meetings officials of his Department have had with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the Government's employment law review since May 2011.

Norman Baker: In the 2010 Budget, it was announced that all Departments with responsibility for employment law would contribute to the review. Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) is responsible for coordinating this cross-Government initiative.
	We do not hold central records of officials’ meetings with other Government Departments for the purposes of policy development and implementation.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions a request for a meeting by an hon. Member of each political party was refused by (a) a Minister in his Department directly and (b) his Department on behalf of a Minister in November 2010.

Norman Baker: I regret that the information requested is not held in the format requested.
	It is my general policy to accede to all requests for meetings requested by hon. Members, irrespective of party allegiance, unless there are exceptional reasons not to do so.

Departmental Training

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on training for Ministers since May 2010; and what the purpose of the training was.

Norman Baker: The Department has not incurred any costs for training for Ministers since May 2010. The Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning), received training from the National School of Government ahead of an appearance in front of the Transport Select Committee. This was provided as part of core learning by the National School of Government and so did not incur a direct cost.

Departmental Dismissal

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials in his Department were dismissed for under-performance as a result of the procedures arising from his Department's staff appraisal systems in each of the last three years.

Norman Baker: This response covers the central Department for Transport and its seven executive agencies (Highways Agency, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Driving Standards Agency, Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Vehicle Certification Agency and Government Car and Despatch Agency).
	In the years 2009-11 the Department for Transport has dismissed five people for under-performance following the Department's staff appraisal procedures.
	This response does not include people who failed their probationary period due to poor performance. These people would not have been managed through the Department's staff appraisal system.

East Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect on levels of employment in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne Central constituency and (b) the North East of the award of the customer contact centre contract for the east coast main line rail franchise to Intelenet and Atos Origin; and whether he has discussed this decision with (i) Directly Operated Railways Ltd and (ii) ministerial colleagues in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Norman Baker: DOR and its subsidiary east coast main line operate the East Coast franchise as independent limited companies. When agreement for continued efficient supply of customer contact centre services could not be reached with their previous supplier, National Express Services Ltd, East Coast took the decision to let the contract under a competitive tender process in accordance with EU legislation.
	The Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), is not party to this process, but is supportive of initiatives to improve efficiency and quality while reducing the cost of the railway to the passenger and the taxpayer. The decision to award the contract to Intelenet sees the creation of jobs in Plymouth and the West Midlands.

Electric Vehicles

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the number of charging points for electric-powered vehicles in (a) Glasgow, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK to be activated in the next four financial years.

Norman Baker: The Department received a bid from Transport Scotland for funding under the Plugged-In Places programme on 29 October 2010. This bid was successful with Transport Scotland awarded £1.2 million to install 375 chargepoints by March 2013. There have been a series of programme management conversations with the Transport Scotland project team on the progress of their project but we have received no further representations relating to chargepoints in Scotland.

Electric Vehicles

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 7 July 2011, Official Report, columns 1316-7W, on the national planning policy framework, what assessment he has made of the level of promotion by local authorities of the building of electric car charging points.

Norman Baker: As set out in the Government's plug-in vehicle infrastructure strategy, “Making the Connection”, published on 30 June 2011, local authorities have an important role in stimulating the provision of infrastructure in their areas. This could be through encouraging infrastructure via planning policies or the provision of public infrastructure.
	Local authorities are playing an active role in each of the Plugged-In Places pilot projects, with many others outside the Plugged-In Places areas also installing infrastructure, such as Brighton and Hove city council and Oxford city council. A number of local authorities have also implemented planning policies to encourage the provision of recharging infrastructure in advance of the National Planning Policy Framework, such as in London and Salford.

Electric Vehicles

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to support the roll-out of rapid chargers for electric vehicles.

Norman Baker: The Government's Plugged-In Places pilot projects plan to install around 50 rapid chargers in areas across the UK.
	In addition, the Government's plug-in vehicle infrastructure strategy “Making the Connection”, published on 30 June 2011, set out a range of measures that will support the roll-out of rapid chargers, including Ofgem planning to consult on an exemption for public recharging infrastructure from the Maximum Resale Price rules to help enable a commercial market in the sale of electricity for plug-in vehicles to develop. Should the roll-out of plug-in vehicle infrastructure be constrained by the ability to raise finance, there is the potential for the Green Investment Bank to provide targeted financial solutions for appropriate plug-in vehicle infrastructure projects.

Electric Vehicles

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to support the roll-out of charging points for electric vehicles at (a) airports, (b) train stations, (c) supermarkets, (d) retail centres and (e) car parks.

Norman Baker: The Government's Plugged-In Places pilot projects are planning to install infrastructure in a range of locations, including airports, railway stations, supermarkets, retail centres and car parks, to provide infrastructure for the early plug-in vehicle market in these areas and to provide information on what is required for a national roll-out of infrastructure.
	In addition, as set out in ‘Making the Connection: the plug-in vehicle infrastructure strategy’, published on 30 June 2011, the Government are taking a range of steps to support the plug-in vehicle infrastructure market in public places.
	This includes establishing a Permitted Development Right that will remove the requirement from owners of publicly accessible car parks to apply for planning permission to install charge points. We are also proposing the inclusion of policy on plug-in vehicle infrastructure in the National Planning Policy Framework, due for consultation soon, which will encourage local authorities to consider adopting policies to include plug-in vehicle recharging infrastructure in all new developments. Ofgem are consulting on an exemption for public recharging infrastructure from the Maximum Resale Price rules to help enable a commercial market in the sale of electricity for plug-in vehicles to develop.

Employment: Disability

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many disabled people are being supported in employment in his Department under its Access to Work programme.

Norman Baker: The Department provides reasonable adjustments to employees according to need. There are currently 1621 employees who have declared themselves to be disabled working in the DFT centrally and in its Agencies. The DFT and most other civil service Departments do not use the Access to Work programme to provide assistance to disabled employees.

Exhaust Emissions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the proportion of car exhaust pollution due to (a) faulty and (b) broken catalytic converters.

Norman Baker: Excess emissions due to failed and low quality replacement catalytic converters were assessed in the impact assessment for The Motor Vehicles (Replacement of Catalytic Converters and Pollution Control Devices) Regulations 2009, SI 2009 No. 1899.
	This is available in the impact assessment library on the BIS website:
	http://www.ialibrary.bis.gov.uk/uploaded/Catalytic%20converters_20091899_en.pdf
	The IA includes estimates of the percentage failure rate of catalysts and the resulting increase in emissions. It also estimates the reduction in emissions brought about by the regulations which require replacement catalysts to meet the same performance standards as those fitted to new vehicles.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many full length equivalent train diagrams of the Siemens Desiro EMU order will be used by (a) TransPennine Express and (b) London Midland.

Philip Hammond: The currently assumed full length equivalent train diagrams are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 (a) TransPennine Express 8 
			 (b) London Midland 8

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reason is for the time taken to approve the order of Siemens Desiro EMU trains for London Midland and TransPennine Express; and when he expects to announce the approval of the order.

Philip Hammond: The procurement of new electric multiple unit trains for these franchises is being led by London Midland, supported by TransPennine Express. As these trains are intended to deliver additional capacity to help fulfil the high level output statement (HLOS), the procurement process was paused by London Midland during the comprehensive spending review while the Department confirmed that the HLOS programme was affordable.
	The Department is currently negotiating with the two train operating companies on the commercial terms for introducing such trains into service. Assuming that commercial agreement can be reached between all the parties, there should be an announcement later this year.

Fuels: Economic Growth

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with (a) motorists and (b) motoring organisations on the effect of motoring fuel costs on economic growth.

Michael Penning: Department for Transport Ministers and officials meet representatives from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and implementation. It is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions. A list of Ministers' meetings with outside interest groups is published quarterly on the Department for Transport website:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/ministerial-transparency/#meetings

Ports (Refusal of Entry)

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals to amend the Harbours, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847 to allow owners of ports to refuse entry to vessels on ethical grounds; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: No. Regulation of trade on ethical or other such grounds is more appropriately overseen at national level, subject to democratic scrutiny and in accordance with the United Kingdom's treaty obligations and with international law.
	Specifically, attempting to ban the commercial export of live animals for slaughter to other member states would be illegal under EU trade rules. This has been demonstrated in the outcome from two European Court of Justice cases.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had on the planned changes to (a) Euston, (b) Birmingham Interchange and (c) Birmingham Curzon Street station as a result of High Speed 2; and which companies have indicated an interest in bidding for each project.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 11 July 2011
	No such discussions on commercial matters have taken place. As the Department is currently consulting the public on the principle of High Speed 2 (HS2) and is yet to seek powers from Parliament, it would be inappropriate at this stage to conduct discussions of a commercial nature about the four stations proposed for a London to the west midlands high speed link. Similarly, no inquiries or expressions of interest have been received in relation to submitting bids for construction work at HS2 stations.
	Operational discussions have taken place with Network Rail about various aspects of the proposed high speed rail network.
	It should be noted that there are currently no stations at the sites of the proposed Birmingham Interchange and Birmingham Curzon Street stations.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much of the estimated cost of the High Speed 2 line he estimates will be funded by the private sector; and what steps his Department plans to take to facilitate private sector involvement in the project.

Philip Hammond: No such estimate has been made. The Government's views on the funding of High Speed 2 are set out in chapter 3 of the consultation document, ‘High Speed Rail: Investing in Britain's Future’, and this includes the consideration of opportunities for private sector involvement. However, as the document notes, at this early stage in the process, it is not appropriate to specify precise funding arrangements.
	As set out in HS2 Ltd's original March 2010 report to Government, it would also be possible to generate a return to Government through granting a concession of the High Speed 2 line to a private sector concessionaire. Subject to the outcome of the current consultation, the Government would give this further consideration as part of the ongoing development of their high speed rail strategy.
	A 30-year operating concession for the HS1 line was let earlier this year for £2.1 billion—more than a third of the total construction cost of the project.

Humber Bridge: Tolls

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether (a) a cost-benefit analysis and (b) an impact assessment was undertaken on the proposed increase to the Humber Bridge toll.

Norman Baker: Following the Humber Bridge Board's toll application to the Department to increase toll charges on the Humber bridge, a public inquiry was convened to consider the board's proposals and representations against an increase, in accordance with the statutory process under the Humber Bridge Act 1971. The independent inspector's report from that inquiry recommended an increase in toll charges in line with the board's proposals. I agreed with the inspector's recommendations. No cost benefit analysis or impact assessment was undertaken by the Department into the Humber Bridge Board's proposals.

Large Goods Vehicles

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations his Department has received from the European Commission on the legality of introducing longer lorries.

Michael Penning: Officials received on 7 July a letter dated 30 June from the Commission. The letter confirmed that Directive 96/53/EC only permits longer semi-trailers if the criteria for one of the exemptions set out in Article 4.4 are fulfilled. The Government's view, previously communicated to the Commission, is that our proposals for longer semi-trailers fulfil the criteria for exemption in Article 4.4 (b), because their loading length (15.65 metres) can also be achieved by existing rigid/drawbar combinations. The Commission's letter did not address this point.

Southeastern Railway: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason Go Ahead Group plc received revenue support from his Department at the maximum level for the operation of the Southeastern rail franchise.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport makes no payments of revenue support directly to Go Ahead Group plc. Revenue support is paid to Southeastern as the company operating the franchise.
	When revenue falls below 98% of forecast revenue, revenue support is paid to the value of 50% of the shortfall; below 94%, payments equivalent to 80% of shortfall are paid.
	Southeastern's revenue has been below 94% of the level forecast during their bid since 1 April 2010. Based on these criteria, Southeastern's revenue has been at a level below that contractualised such that they have received revenue support payments from the Department at the 80% level since this date.

London Midland

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what dates he has had meetings with representatives of London Midland train operating company since his appointment; and what proposals he has received from London Midland on changes to its diesel multiple unit fleet.

Theresa Villiers: My most recent formal meeting with London Midland was on 14 February 2011. In addition, Ministers regularly meet with the Association of Train Operating Companies, who represent all UK rail operators.
	London Midland has submitted HLOS proposals regarding its diesel multiple unit operation, which are currently being evaluated. Any announcement will be made in due course.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of uninsured drivers in each of the last three years.

Michael Penning: We estimate that from a comparison of the Motor Insurance Database operated by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) and the DVLA's vehicle's database that around 1.4 million vehicles are uninsured. This figure has remained constant for the past three years but is a reduction from an estimated 2 million in 2005.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effects on the safety of motorists of changes in the periodicity of MOT tests;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the effects on levels of private sector employment of changes to the periodicity of MOT tests;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the effects on levels of fatalities on roads of changes to the periodicity of MOT tests;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the effects on Exchequer revenues of changes to the periodicity of MOT tests.

Michael Penning: I intend to review the MOT test scheme. I want to make sure that a review takes account of all the latest information available to us. To that end, we have recently published the results of independent research the Department commissioned to examine how vehicle defects affect accident rates, and to consider the potential road safety impact of changing the frequency of the MOT. The ‘Effect of Vehicle Defects in Road Accidents’ report can be found at:
	http://www.trl.co.uk/library/reports_publications/latest_publications/
	This research will be a useful addition to other information we intend to gather through the review process, including the impacts on garages and private sector employment, and the effect on Exchequer revenues.

Motorway: Speed Limits

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for City of Chester of 23 June 2011, Official Report, column 455, on motorway speed limits, when he plans to publish his consultation on motorway speed limits; if, as part of the consultation, he will ask what the motorway speed limit should be as an open question; if he will consult on what the default speed limits should be on other types of road; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: Preliminary work reviewing the motorway speed limit is in progress. The primary focus of the current work is reviewing the effects of increasing the 70 mph national speed limit on motorways to 80 mph. If the Government were to propose a change to the motorway speed limit there would be a consultation.

National Security Council

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what role and responsibilities he has in relation to the National Security Council; and what recent contribution he has made to its work.

Philip Hammond: I am not a member of the National Security Council (NSC) but attend as necessary to discuss Transport Security related issues.
	The work of the National Security Council is not made public for security reasons.
	Further information on NSC is available at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/national-security-council/

Network Rail

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will review the structure of Network Rail in order to ensure greater transparency in its operations.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 18 July 2011
	The Government are committed to making Network Rail more accountable to its customers. Following the publication of Sir Roy McNulty's Rail Value for Money Study, the Government are developing plans for the future of the railway. We intend to publish these in November.

Newton Station: Disabled Access

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the disabled access to Newton rail station.

Norman Baker: holding answer 18 July 2011
	In 2009 the Department provided financial support to the Association of Train Operating Companies to carry out full access audits of every station in Great Britain, including Newton. This was for use with the “Stations Made Easy” application on the National Rail website which now has full details of all access features at stations, including a map and photographs, allowing disabled passengers to better plan their journey.

Northern Rail: Rolling Stock

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which companies have been shortlisted to provide additional rolling stock for the Northern Rail passenger rail franchise; and when he expects to announce the award of the contract.

Theresa Villiers: The Department is not aware of companies bidding to provide additional rolling stock for the Northern Rail passenger rail franchise.
	Northern Rail are in discussion with one of the Rolling Stock Leasing Companies about leasing some existing rolling stock that is expected to become available in due course from another franchise. They are also negotiating with the Department about the commercial terms for operating such trains.
	Should commercial agreement be reached between the parties then an announcement will be made later this year.

Piracy

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance his Department offers to (a) UK-registered vessels and (b) British seafarers operating in areas where a security threat from piracy has been identified.

Michael Penning: Piracy is a particular problem off the coast of Somalia, in the Gulf of Aden, and in the wider Indian Ocean. My Department strongly encourages all UK flagged ships transiting this area to follow Best Management Practices. BMP is industry developed guidance on the steps that can be taken to reduce the chances of ships being pirated.
	Ships are reminded of the importance of registering with Maritime Security Centre—Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) prior to entering the area; and reporting to UKMTO on entering the voluntary reporting area, and on a daily basis thereafter.
	Shipping companies should also follow the advice included in Marine Guidance Note 420 (MGN420) which complements that in BMP:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mcga-notice.htm?textobjid=F7FC6BD38765050D
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has also published advice to British seafarers about the threat of piracy in the Indian Ocean:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/staying-safe/river-safety/indian-ocean-piracy

Ports: Finance

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding his Department has provided for port infrastructure in each region in each of the last 10 years.

Michael Penning: holding answer 18 July 2011
	No general funding has been provided by the Department for Transport to the ports industry in the past 10 years.
	The following freight facilities grants (FFG) have been provided, by region and nation:
	Yorkshire and the Humber:
	DFDS Tor Line Ltd was awarded a FFG in November 2002 for £382,480, to support the cost of facilities at the DFDS Nordic terminal at the Port of Immigham.
	Associated British Ports was awarded a FFG of £725,139 in February 2003 for improved rail facilities at the Port of Goole.
	South East:
	Associated British Ports was awarded £615,881 in October 2001 for a loading shovel and conveyor at the Port of Southampton.
	South West:
	Associated British Ports was awarded a FFG of £131,892 for a storage shed in March 2005 at Teignmouth.
	Scotland:
	Forth Ports was awarded £10,968,529 in January 2002 for a freight handling facility in Rosyth.

Invalid Vehicles

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2011, Official Report, column 1062W, on invalid vehicles, whether his discussions with representatives of transport operators, manufacturers and user groups are complete; and when he will publish guidance on scooters on public transport.

Norman Baker: The discussions with transport operators are currently ongoing and guidance will be published when discussions have reached a conclusion.
	Department for Transport officials have been working with the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) on the production of CPT's Code for the use of Mobility Scooters on low floor Buses. This code of practice is due to be published shortly.

Rail Value for Money Review

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was paid to (a) Sir Roy McNulty and (b) senior members of staff for their work on the Independent Report of the Rail Value for Money Study.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 13 June 2011
	From the point at which the study was commissioned in December 2009 up until 27 May 2011, Sir Roy McNulty received £218,215 for his work on the Independent Rail Value for Money Study, including remuneration for expenses. The core team of seven who worked on the study received in total £968,638. These figures include the forecast expenditure for the final month of the study.

Rail Value for Money Review

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects of the recommendations of the McNulty review on (a) peak and (b) off-peak fares for passenger rail services between London and Brighton.

Theresa Villiers: The Department will be working closely with the Office of Rail Regulation and the rail industry over the next few months to analyse Sir Roy's recommendations.
	In particular the Government will undertake a review of fares policy. We are currently still giving considering to the scope of the review, including the timetable and process for engagement.

Ministerial Meetings

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what dates he has had meetings with (a) British and (b) other train manufacturers since his appointment.

Theresa Villiers: The Secretary of State for Transport and his ministerial team regularly meet with British and other train manufacturers. Details of formal meetings can be found at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/ministerial-transparency/#meetings
	This list does not include additional informal contacts with British and other train manufacturers, for example at conferences, stakeholder events etc.

Ministerial Meetings

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department paid to Atkins consultancy in respect of the review of rail whole-system programme management as part of the final independent report of the Rail Value for Money Study.

Theresa Villiers: The cost of the work in question was £50,000 excluding VAT.

Railways: Fares

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the cost to his Department of setting the cap on increases in rail fares at the level of the (a) retail prices index plus two per cent., (b) retail prices index plus one per cent., (c) retail prices index and (d) retail prices index minus one per cent. from 2012.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 27 June 2011
	The Government are about to engage with the industry in negotiations on the effect on subsidy/premia of the change in the cap on regulated fares from RPI+1 to RPI+3 for the three years from January 2012 to January 2014. It would prejudice these discussions to make further details public at this time, including assessments made of the impact of alternative options for fare levels.

Railways: Finance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he has issued to train operating companies and Network Rail on bidding for funding from the Station Commercial Project Facility.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport has approved Network Rail to use £100 million of its Regulatory Asset Base funding facility for station improvement projects.
	Network Rail is programme managing and administrating the Station Commercial Project Facility. Therefore, the Department has not issued any guidance to train operating companies or Network Rail on bidding for funding from the Station Commercial Project Facility.
	However, Network Rail has issued detailed guidance to potential bidders, including operators, through a set of documents. These include guidance notes, an investment proposal application form, business case summary and a commercial, funding and delivery principles document.
	These documents are available through the Network Rail Website at:
	www.networkrail.co.uk/SCPF
	Network Rail also issued press releases to both the rail industry and local authority press in mid-April to announce this fund formally.

Railways: Hornsey

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the merits of the construction of a new rail depot at Hornsey.

Theresa Villiers: The introduction of the new Thameslink rolling stock requires two new depots. The proposed locations are at Hornsey in the London borough of Haringey and at Three Bridges near Crawley. Planning applications for these depots are currently being considered by London borough of Haringey and Crawley borough council.

Railways: Theft

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost of theft of cables from the rail network in the last 12 months; and what steps he plans to take to reduce the level of such theft.

Norman Baker: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Andrew Gwynne) on 18 July 2011, Official Report, columns 713-14W.

Rail Value for Money Review

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the recommendations of the final independent report of the Rail Value for Money Study, whether his Department plans to prioritise the development of smart cards for use on the national rail system.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport's business plan published in November 2011 sets out the commitment to continue to specify smart ticketing requirements, compliant with the national ITSO specification, as rail franchises are renewed over the life of this Parliament.

Railways: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with (a) First Great Western Trains and (b) Virgin Trains on the use of Welsh language in respect of (i) rail services provided in Wales and (ii) cross-border rail services.

Norman Baker: The Secretary of State has had no discussions with First Great Western or Virgin Trains on the use of Welsh language in respect of rail services provided in Wales or cross-border rail services.

Road Signs and Markings

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on his Department's review of traffic signs policy.

Norman Baker: The traffic signs policy review was completed and reported to Ministers in May.

Road Traffic Offences

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps local authorities are required to take to notify road users of the use of traffic regulation enforcement vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: There are no statutory requirements imposed on local authorities regarding the notification to road users of the use of vehicles to which an approved enforcement device has been attached (enforcement vehicles). However, guidance has been issued to local authorities.
	The guidance on parking enforcement can be found on the DFT website at:
	http://www2.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tpm/tmaportal/tmafeatures/tmapart6/betterprkstatutoryguid.pdf
	The provisional guidance for bus lane enforcement can be found on the DFT website at:
	http://www2.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/buses/gen/coll_provisionalguidanceonbuslan/isionalguidanceonbuslane3570.pdf

Rolling Stock

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the contribution of the Minister of State for Transport on 12 July 2011, Official Report, column 23WH, on the train building industry, how many miles of testing the Siemens bogie had undergone by (a) 22 October 2009 and (b) 16 June 2011; and how many such bogies have been manufactured to date.

Theresa Villiers: Testing of individual bogie components for the new Thameslink trains is under way and the complete bogie will commence factory testing at the end of 2011. Siemens are intending to commence testing of the complete bogies on their test track in 2012 and will have accumulated over 1,000,000 miles of running experience before the new trains enter passenger service in 2015.
	The Siemens bogie for the new Thameslink trains uses experience and components from existing designs which have been further developed to deliver the wheel rail interface interaction, weight and energy consumption challenges in the Department's technical specification.

Rolling Stock: Manufacturing Industries

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what support his Department is providing to the train manufacturing sector.

Theresa Villiers: Further to the ongoing commercial negotiations on the Intercity Express Programme, Hitachi has indicated a preference to locate their European train manufacturing and assembly centre at Newton Aycliffe in County Durham. This facility is expected to create at least 500 direct permanent jobs as well as thousands more job opportunities in the UK manufacturing and service supply chains. With regard to the Thameslink rolling stock contract, Siemens’ stated expectations for job creation in the train manufacturing sector are detailed in my response to the right hon. Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr Denham) on 11 July 2011, Official Report, columns 205-06W.
	The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), is in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), about how we can best support the train manufacturing sector’s engagement with these projects, as well as how we can work with the industry to ensure it is well positioned to exploit other supply chain, construction and tendering opportunities, as they become available within the UK’s rail industry.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the cost to the public purse of the administration of rolling stock procurement in each month since 2004.

Norman Baker: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department announced the list of pre-qualified bidders for each rolling stock procurement since 2004; on what date the list was reduced to two bidders; on what date a preferred bidder was announced; and on what date a final agreement was reached with the selected bidder.

Theresa Villiers: With regard to procurements of rolling stock led by the DFT:
	the list of pre-qualified bidders for the Intercity Express programme was announced on 16 August 2007; there were only ever two pre-qualified bidders; the preferred bidder was announced on 12 February 2009; no final agreement has yet been reached with the selected bidder.
	the list of pre-qualified bidders for the Thameslink programme was announced on 10 July 2008; the list was reduced to two bidders on 23 October 2009; a preferred bidder was announced on 16 June 2011; no final agreement has yet been reached with the selected bidder.
	the list of pre-qualified bidders for the Crossrail rolling stock procurement was announced on 30 March 2011.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the projected variable track access charge is for Intercity Express programme trains; and what assessment he has made of the cost-benefit ratio of Intercity Express programme train sets compared to alternative train sets examined by his Department.

Philip Hammond: For details on variable track access charges I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Andrew Gwynne) of 20 June 2011, Official Report, column 20W.
	We have reviewed Agility's Intercity Express programme proposal against the alternative of an all-electric fleet, with purpose built diesel locomotives being coupled, to trains to haul them beyond the electrified railway. The Department cannot make public its cost-benefit ratio valuations of the Intercity Express programme until the procurement has reached financial close, as to do so may worsen the Department's commercial position in the ongoing negotiations with Agility Trains, the preferred bidding consortium.

Rural Areas

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether officials of his Department have had recent discussions with the Rural Communities Policy Unit in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Norman Baker: Yes, my officials have had recent discussion with the Rural Communities Policy Unit at DEFRA on matters including the rural impacts of DFT's policies, community transport and the Wheels 2 Work scheme.

Shipping

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many ships have been detained by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency since May 2010; what the reason was for detaining each such ship; and what the cost to the public purse of such detentions in that period has been.

Michael Penning: 53 ships were detained by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in the period from 1 May 2010 to 31 May 2011.
	A list of these ships and the reason for their detention has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The MCA is entitled to charge shipowners for inspection following detention. The current rate of £94 per hour of surveyor time has been established with the object of recovering the full cost.

Shipping: Carbon Emissions

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the carbon dioxide emissions attributable to UK-registered shipping in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce the level of carbon dioxide emissions attributable to shipping.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport does not estimate the carbon dioxide emissions attributable to UK-registered shipping, as there currently is no internationally agreed mechanism for assigning emissions to specific states.
	The Government are playing an active role in the International Maritime Organization's work on technical, operational and market based measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from shipping on a global basis. The UK is also working with the European Commission and other member states to develop a proposal for effective regional action in the event that no international measure has been agreed by the end of 2011.

Shipping: Registration

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the European Commission on the Commission’s proposals for a European ship register made in COM(2011) 144, Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area.

Michael Penning: The Government have had no discussions with the European Commission regarding the establishment for creating a European ship register—a concept that we do not support.

Shipping: Taxation

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of the EU shipping tonnage tax regime on levels of employment in the UK since its inception.

Michael Penning: None. However, around 18,600 seafarers (officers and ratings) are employed on ships in the UK tonnage tax. Approximately 27% of all of these seafarers, and 33% of the officers, are UK nationals.
	Shipping is a global, competitive industry and UK seafarer employment levels are influenced by factors other than the tonnage tax. In 2010, about 27,800 UK nationals were seafarers working regularly at sea.

South West Trains: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason Stagecoach Group plc received revenue support from his Department for the operation of the South West Trains franchise.

Theresa Villiers: The SSWT franchise was signed on the 21 September 2006 and commenced on 4 February 2007.
	The franchise contains a provision for the operator to receive revenue support in the event that actual revenue (as defined) falls below the level contractualised. Entitlement to this support commenced on 6 February 2011.
	The process is identified in SSWT’s national rail franchise terms which are available on the DFT website.
	The DFT makes no payments of revenue support directly to Stagecoach plc. Revenue support is paid to the operating company, South West Trains as and when the contractual criteria are met.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what importance was attributed to bogie design in the evaluation of bids for the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project; and what processes were employed to verify statements made by the bidders.

Theresa Villiers: Bidders were required to provide a complete technical description of the Unit concept design, giving a comprehensive description of the vehicle and subsystem design.
	The vehicle and subsystem designs, including the bogie design, were evaluated against the Train Technical Specification (TTS) criteria contained in Section 3 and Appendix K of the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project Invitation to Tender (ITT) dated 27 November 2008, a copy of which is available on the DFT website.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who undertook the evaluation of bids for the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project; and what role was played by external consultants in that evaluation.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 11 July 2011
	The evaluation of bids for the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project was undertaken by Department for Transport staff supported by Network Rail and First Capital Connect, and a number of external consultants. The external consultants have included PricewaterhouseCoopers for financial advice, Booz & Co. for procurement advice, Interfleet Technology Ltd for technical advice, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer for legal advice and ARUP for planning advice.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what importance was attributed to train weight in the evaluation of bids for the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project.

Theresa Villiers: The importance attributed to the train weight is identified in Table K3 ‘Train Technical Specification scoring matrix’, contained within Appendix K to the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project Invitation to Tender, dated 27 November 2008, a copy of which is available on the DFT website.
	In addition, train weight influences the energy consumption and on-going track maintenance costs, which have been assessed as part of the evaluation process.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons Alstom Transport was eliminated from the competition for the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project.

Theresa Villiers: The procurement process has not yet concluded, consequently the details of the bid are confidential to Alstom and the Department.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the weighting attached to the various criteria that the Department used to assess bids for the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project as of 31 April 2008.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 11 July 2011
	The weightings attached to the various criteria are contained in Section 3 ‘Evaluation Process’ and the referenced appendices of the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project Invitation to Tender dated 27 November 2008, a copy of which is available on the DFT website.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the criteria were that his Department planned to use to assess bids for the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project as at 31 April 2008.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 11 July 2011
	The evaluation criteria and evaluation process are contained in Section 3 ‘Evaluation Process’ and the referenced appendices of the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project Invitation to Tender dated November 27 2008, a copy of which is available on the DFT website.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the (a) purpose and (b) scope was of the review of the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project since his appointment;
	(2)  what aspects of the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project he reviewed after his appointment in May 2010.

Theresa Villiers: The Government Major Project Review held in summer 2010 reviewed all aspects of the Thameslink programme, including the Thameslink Rolling Stock project.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of jobs to be created by the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project; what types of jobs they will be; how many will be permanent; and when the posts will be created.

Theresa Villiers: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 11 July 2011, Official Report, columns 205-6W, to the right hon. Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr Denham).

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 June 2011, Official Report, columns 85-86WS, on Thameslink rolling stock, what assessment he has made of the effect on employment in all rail-related sectors of the domestic transport industry of the announcement of the preferred bidder for the Thameslink contract.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 13 July 2011
	I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 11 July 2011, Official Report, columns 205-6W, to the right hon. Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr Denham).

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 June 2011, Official Report, columns 85-86WS, on Thameslink rolling stock, what assessment he has made of the long-term (a) economic and (b) employment impact on the rail industry in (i) Derby, (ii) the east midlands and (iii) the UK of the appointment of Siemens as the preferred bidder.

Theresa Villiers: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr Denham) on 18 July 2011, Official Report, columns 719-20W.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential effect on (a) the British transport manufacturing industry, (b) the economy of the Midlands and (c) the supply chain of businesses of the award of the Thameslink contract to a non-UK based bidder; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 14 July 2011
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr Denham) on 18 July 2011, Official Report, columns 719-20W.

Thameslink: Conditions of Employment

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 June 2011, Official Report, columns 85-6WS, on Thameslink Rolling Stock, whether the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 will apply to the transfer of train maintenance staff from First Capital Connect to Siemens.

Theresa Villiers: The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 may be relevant to the transfer of train maintenance staff from First Capital Connect to Siemens.

Thameslink: Contracts

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish any economic impact assessment undertaken by his Department on the decision on the award of the Thameslink contract.

Theresa Villiers: The criteria against which bids for the Thameslink rolling stock contract were judged were those set out at the time the invitation to tender (ITT) was published in 2008 and included an evaluation of affordability, value for money and deliverability. The evaluation criteria are contained in the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project invitation to tender dated 27 November 2008, a copy of which is available on the DFT website:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/thameslinkrollingstock/itt/
	The Department did not carry out a specific economic impact assessment beyond the work done evaluating the bids against the published criteria.

Thameslink: Contracts

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reason is for the time taken to award the resignalling contract for London bridge under the Thameslink contract.

Theresa Villiers: Network Rail issued the tender for the resignalling contract for London bridge in late January 2011 with tenders returned in April 2011. Evaluation took place between April 2011 and July 2011, with tenderers advised of the outcome on 6 July 2011. This procurement process has been achieved in accordance with Network Rail's programme.

Sustainable Transport

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Communities and Local Government on encouraging the uptake of sustainable modes of transport under draft version 4 of the national planning policy framework.

Norman Baker: My officials have worked closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government to include and promote sustainable transport measures in the national planning policy framework. These will be reflected in the consultation document to be published by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Transport: Livestock

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on live export of farm animals to continental Europe; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: None.

Transport: Olympic Games 2012

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what agreements his Department has reached with the Mayor of London on traffic reduction targets for the period of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

Theresa Villiers: The Olympic Delivery Authority has statutory responsibility for traffic reduction at Games time. My officials are working with the Mayor and the ODA on traffic reduction measures.
	Transport for London (TfL), through the Travel Advice to Business Programme, is currently working with businesses across London and other affected locations to encourage them to consider the impact the Games might have on commuters and business travel, as well as business operations such as freight and deliveries.
	As part of this preparation, TfL is actively encouraging businesses to check on the website:
	www.london2012.com/traveladviceforbusiness
	to see if they are in areas affected by the Games and start making Games time travel plans, including considering implementation of measures such as working from home, changing the time of travel or considering changing the way they travel.

Transport: Olympic Games 2012

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the change in the number of commuter trains will be during the period of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London and the South East.

Theresa Villiers: The number of commuter trains operating during the period of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games will be broadly similar to the current number with some additions to address Olympics-related travel patterns. On the high speed line from Kent to St. Pancras some reduction in commuter trains will be necessitated to enable additional services to be provided to the Olympic stadium at this time.

Transport: Planning

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the implications for transport policy of draft version 4 of the National Planning Policy Framework.

Philip Hammond: I have held regular discussions on a range of issues with my ministerial colleagues in the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Passenger Journeys

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the total number of passenger miles travelled by all modes of transport where the journey was (a) up to 10 miles, (b) 10 to 50 miles, (c) 50 to 150 miles and (d) greater than 150 miles for (i) each county in England, (ii) Scotland, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland that were made in 2010;
	(2)  what information his Department holds on the number of passenger journeys made in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) each county in England in 2010.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 18 July 2011
	The National Travel Survey (NTS) covers residents of Great Britain. Data are not available by county as the sample is too small to provide reliable results at that level of geography. Regional level results are available through combining two survey years of data together. The latest results available are for 2008 and 2009 combined. They cover all domestic journeys by all modes of transport, public and private, including walking and cycling.
	Table NTS9903 shows the average number of trips per person per year by region and country of residence and can be viewed at the following link:
	http://www2.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/nts/how-mode/nts9903.xls
	
		
			 Table: Average distance travelled per person per year by trip length and region/country: Great Britain, 2008 and 2009 combined 
			 Miles/Number 
			  Trip length (miles) 
			 Region of residence Up to 10 miles 10 to under 50 miles 50 to under 200 miles 200 miles and over Total distance (miles) Unweighted sample (trips) 
			 North East 2,343 2,335 1,142 521 6,341 34,001 
			 North West 2,200 2,343 1,087 470 6,101 85,914 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2,260 2,459 1,441 526 6,686 62,625 
		
	
	
		
			 East Midlands 2,194 3,047 1,849 250 7,340 52,946 
			 West Midlands 2,303 2,466 1,503 236 6,509 63,598 
			 East of England 2,152 3,743 1,726 408 8,030 69,008 
			 Greater London 1,973 1,690 969 422 5,054 74,166 
			 South East 2,215 3,147 1,789 522 7,673 100,431 
			 South West 2,300 2,828 2,023 576 7,727 64,536 
			 England 2,197 2,665 1,497 439 6,798 607,225 
			 Wales 2,210 2,959 1,618 251 7,038 34,756 
			 Scotland 2,057 3,096 1,147 932 7,233 58,210 
			 Great Britain 2,186 2,717 1,472 473 6,848 700,191 
			 Note: The specified trip length bandings are not available, and therefore the nearest available bandings have been used instead. 
		
	
	Data for Northern Ireland are collected separately in the Travel Survey for Northern Ireland. Results are available at:
	http://www.drdni.gov.uk/index/statistics/stats-catagories/stats-catagories-travel_survey.htm

Vehicle and Operator Services Agency

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to privatise the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency during the present Parliament.

Michael Penning: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has no plan to privatise the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency during the present Parliament.

World Maritime Day

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department plans to mark World Maritime Day.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport will mark World Maritime Day on 29 September, the theme for which is ‘Piracy—orchestrating the response’, by sending an official communication to the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), which the UK Government are proud to host in London.
	The Department for Transport will fly the Red Ensign at its London headquarters. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency, in addition to the Red Ensign, will fly the IMO flag at its Southampton headquarters.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Ministerial Meetings

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what (a) meetings and (b) other engagements (i) Ministers and (ii) special advisers in his Department attended which were also attended by Mr Andrew Coulson (A) between 12 May 2010 and 21 January 2011 and (B) since 21 January 2011;
	(2)  what (a) meetings and (b) other engagements (i) Ministers and (ii) special advisers in his Department attended which were also attended by (A) representatives, (B) journalists and (C) other employees of (1) News International and its subsidiary organisations including newspapers, (2) News Corporation and its subsidiary organisations and (3) BSkyB since 12 May 2010.

Edward Davey: holding answer 14 July 2011
	As has been the practice of previous administrations information relating to internal meetings, discussions and advice is not normally disclosed. I refer the hon. Member to the Prime Minister's statement to the House of 13 July 2011.

Apprentices

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many of the apprenticeship starts in the 2010-11 academic year to date have been delivered through apprenticeship training agencies or other third parties.

John Hayes: From the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) we can estimate apprenticeship starts through the Government funded Apprenticeship Training Agency (ATA) and Group Training Association (GTA) pilots. These show 2,930 recorded Apprenticeship starts between 1 August 2010 and 30 April. There will additionally be a small number of starts which we do not have records for, at ATAs who were not part of the pilot scheme.
	The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) also works with GTA England, which represents a number of existing GTAs. They delivered an estimated 5,600 Apprenticeship starts between 1 August 2010 and 30 April.
	These data are provisional and are subject to change as more complete data become available from providers.

Apprentices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people are enrolled on an apprenticeship programme.

John Hayes: There were 326,700 apprenticeship programme starts in England in the first nine months of the academic year 2010/11, from August 2010 to April 2011 based on provisional data.
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 23 June 2011:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current

Apprentices: Degrees

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage apprentices to undertake degree courses.

John Hayes: Progression from apprenticeships into higher level skills and qualifications is key to our plans. I have renamed apprenticeship levels so that there is a clearer pathway from intermediate to advanced and on to higher apprenticeships. This reinforces the fact that apprentices can, and already do, progress into post-graduate level and professional qualifications.
	The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) is currently reviewing the tariff system and the way that it operates. The Government will work closely with UCAS on the review to ensure that vocational qualifications and apprenticeships are properly considered, and we are working with the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) to make sure that those who graduate from an apprenticeship understand their future and career options.

Departmental Apprentices

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2011, Official Report, column 567W, on apprentices: Government Departments, how many apprenticeships there were in each Government Department in each of the last 11 years.

John Hayes: Government Skills collected data on apprenticeship starts in Government Departments from April 2008 onwards. As set out in my answer of 13 June 2011, Official Report, column 567W, there were a total of 2,120 apprenticeship starts within Government Departments during the period April 2010 to March 2011. There were 1,395 starts for the period April 2008 to March 2009 and 2,992 for the period April 2009 to March 2010.

Apprentices: Kent

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships have been started in (a) Dartford constituency and (b) Kent since May 2010.

John Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship starts for Dartford parliamentary constituency and Kent local authority between May 2010 and July 2010 of the 2009/10 academic year based on final year data and between August 2010 and April 2011 of the 2010/11 academic year based on provisional data, the latest date for which we have data.
	
		
			 Table 1: Apprenticeship starts in Dartford constituency and Kent local education authority, 1 May 2010 and 30 April 2011 
			  2009/10: May 2010 to July 2010 (final) 2010/11: August 2010 to April 2011 (provisional) Total: May 2010 to April 2011 (provisional) 
			 Dartford constituency 70 460 530 
			 Kent local education authority 1,180 6,420 7,600 
			 Notes: 1. All Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Geography information is based upon the home postcode of the learner. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 23 June 2011:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current

Bombardier

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assistance his Department plans to provide to businesses in the Bombardier supply chain.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 13 July 2011
	The Secretary of State announced on 5 July the creation of an Economic Response Task Force to fully understand and mitigate the economic impact of job losses at Bombardier, its supply chain and the local communities.
	Further the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), have asked their officials to work together with the sector and key delivery partners, such as UK Trade and Investment, to support the train manufacturing sector and the wider rail supply chain in securing more sustainable UK jobs through clearly identified business opportunities such as the Intercity Express Programme, Crossrail and High Speed 2.
	Additionally the Department’s Solutions for Business offers a range of publically funded products and services designed to help businesses to overcome key challenges and UK Trade and Investment explore export opportunities.

Business: Advisory Services

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of offering free insured advice to small businesses.

Edward Davey: From September 2009 to November 2010, two projects piloted the promotion to small and medium-sized enterprises by Government of insured advice on employment and health and safety matters. This followed on from the 2009 Anderson review which recommended that the Government should provide access for SMEs to a tailored and insured advice service. The evaluation of the pilot, published by BIS on 16 July 2011, concluded that there was not a case for the Government to proactively promote insured advice, although Government information services should provide information about their availability.

Business: Loans

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been lent to businesses through the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme in each month since it was introduced.

Mark Prisk: The Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) commenced in January 2009 and as at end of May 2011, 13,014 businesses had drawn down EFG loans totalling £1.3 billion.
	A full breakdown by each month is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 EFG loans drawn, monthly analysis 
			  Number of loans drawn Value of loans drawn (£) 
			 2009   
			 January 4 544,028 
			 February 128 8,678,178 
			 March 458 39,721,418 
			 April 671 61,441,137 
			 May 647 65,358,635 
			 June 712 74,925,527 
			 July 754 78,594,965 
			 August 571 60,782,103 
		
	
	
		
			 September 596 63,965,868 
			 October 615 66,065,462 
			 November 547 58,824,838 
			 December 465 47,659,599 
			    
			 2010   
			 January 471 45,875,942 
			 February 516 52,977,748 
			 March 617 60,587,318 
			 April 520 53,809,845 
			 May 453 41,931,650 
			 June 477 48,818,740 
			 July 444 45,507,100 
			 August 386 39,523,689 
			 September 496 49,632,939 
			 October 349 32,800,680 
			 November 323 32,622,836 
			 December 271 25,414,063 
			    
			 2011   
			 January 305 28,172,435 
			 February 307 28,901,815 
			 March 351 34,187,283 
			 April 269 23,589,805 
			 May 291 30,286,533 
			 Total 13,014 1,301,202,190

Debts

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to investigate the conduct of debt consolidation firms.

Edward Davey: The conduct and activities of debt consolidation firms who provide loans by way of a second charge on a consumer's home is monitored by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). The OFT issued updated Guidance for this industry in 2009 and continues to keep this sector under review.
	In addition, in 2010 the OFT also published new guidance on irresponsible lending which specifically sets out the information the OFT would expect a lender to provide a person who is considering taking out a loan to consolidate existing debts. The guidance states that when applicable the consumer should be informed that consolidating debts may involve paying higher interest rates and increase both the overall amount repayable and the repayment period.
	The OFT would also consider it likely to be an example of irresponsible lending for any lender to grant a debt consolidation loan to a consumer where it is known, or reasonably suspected, that the credit is likely to be unsustainable. Failure to comply with the irresponsible lending guidance could call into question that company's fitness to hold a consumer credit licence. The OFT continues to keep this sector under review and if necessary will not hesitate to take enforcement action.

Debts

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish any assessment he has made of the effect of the high cost credit industry on the trends in the level of personal debt between May 2010 and May 2011.

Edward Davey: BIS published ‘Credit, debt and financial difficulty in Britain, 2009/10’ in June. The aim of the report is to explore credit use and the extent of consumer indebtedness in Britain over the twelve months from November 2009 to October 2010 and changes since the previous 2010 report, which covered the period from July 2008 to July 2009. The survey provides useful information about consumer indebtedness and borrowing behaviour among the general population, as it is based on a nationally representative sample.
	The most recent survey, which is available via the BIS website, found that there had been a decrease in the proportion of households using unsecured credit and that the level of financial difficulty may be declining. The survey also showed that 2% of those sampled used high cost credit products.
	The next survey, covering the period November 2010 to October 2011 will be published in June 2012.

Departmental Apprentices

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships are planned in each Government Department in each of the next three years.

John Hayes: We have not collected data from Government Departments on how many apprenticeships are planned in each of the next three years. Civil Service Learning is encouraging Departments to use apprenticeships to support delivery of their business objectives and will provide some central support to promote a more consistent approach where appropriate.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the carbon dioxide emissions from his Department in (a) June 2010 and (b) June 2011.

Edward Davey: The carbon dioxide emissions from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills were:
	In June 2010: 503.97 tonnes;
	In June 2011: 348.7 tonnes.
	Note
	These figures are not weather corrected.

Departmental Lost Property

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what property has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost of replacement was.

Edward Davey: During the last 12 months the Department's records show that four prints with an estimated total value of £5,500 were reported as lost or stolen. After investigation three prints with an estimated value of £4,000 were recovered.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on hospitality for staff since May 2010.

Edward Davey: In the period May 2010 to June 2011 inclusive, the Department has spent a total of £27,766 on hospitality. Of this, £26,540 was paid in the 10-11 financial year and £1,226 in the 11-12 financial year.
	For information, it should be noted that the figures above include the provision of hospitality to external visitors and it is not possible to provide a further breakdown to identify the amount spent solely on departmental staff without incurring disproportionate cost. However, the Department provides clear guidance to staff that hospitality should not be provided for internal meetings and should only be offered to external visitors where necessary and appropriate. As a comparison, in the 2009-10 financial year the Department spent £49,975 on hospitality.

Departmental Photographs

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on ministerial photoshoots and videos since May 2010.

Edward Davey: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does all ministerial photo shoots and videos in-house. Since May 2010 no money has been spent with external suppliers on such services.
	Video and photography work is carried out by two BIS staff members. The total amount of work adds up to approximately one full-time equivalent.
	All expenditure has to be incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will consider keeping data on the number of times (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have declined a request for a meeting from an hon. Member of each political party.

Edward Davey: Ministerial colleagues make every effort to meet MPs with an interest in BIS policy issues, so I do not believe this would be a productive use of officials’ time.

Education: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the (a) overall cost and (b) cost to his Department was of the Researchers in Residence scheme run by Research Councils UK in each of the last 10 years.

David Willetts: holding answer 11 July 2011
	The overall costs of the Researchers in Residence scheme run by Research Councils UK (RCUK) are as follows:
	
		
			  Overall cost  (inc. VAT) (£) Cost to RCUK  (inc. VAT) (£) Notes 
			 2006/07 (1)399,000 370,000 Based on Wellcome Trust's overall contribution to Edinburgh University of £86,000 being broken down equally over the three year contract. Note that between 2006 and 2009, Wellcome Trust payments were made directly to Edinburgh University and therefore cannot be verified by RCUK. Wellcome Trust contributions to Sheffield Hallam university in 2006/07 are unknown to RCUK. 
			 2007/08 (1)300,000 271,000 Based on Wellcome Trust's overall contributions paid to Edinburgh university of £86,000 being broken down equally over the three year contract. 
			 2008/09 (1)354,000 325,000 Based on Wellcome Trust's overall contributions paid directly to Edinburgh university of £86,000 being broken down equally over the three year contract. 
			 2009/10 452,000 429,000 (Additional funding from Wellcome Trust) 
			 2010/11 545,000 516,000 (Additional funding from Wellcome Trust) 
			 2011/12(2) 94,000 85,000 (Additional funding from Wellcome Trust) 
			 (1) Estimated (2) Until 30 June 2011

Employment: Regulation

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on employment law.

Edward Davey: Discussions with the European Commission to make clear the UK position on employment law take place regularly at both ministerial and official level. Most recently, I and the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), met with Commissioner Andor to discuss the working time directive on 13 July 2011.

Environmental Protection

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the (a) scope and (b) terms of reference are of his Department's Skills for a Green Economy project.

John Hayes: We need a work force with the right skills to maximise the potential of the green economy. Skills for a Green Economy is a joint project run by this Department, the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, following the publication in November 2010 of Skills for Sustainable Growth, the skills strategy for England. The scope is to look across the whole economy; and to focus on the further education and skills system in England. The terms of reference are to:
	identify the skills to support the transition to a strong and sustainable green economy;
	identify policies driving or inhibiting the transition and consequent green skills needs;
	consider whether business demand and the response of the skills system will lead to these skills being delivered; and
	make recommendations accordingly.
	The project proposals will be included as part of the Roadmap to a Green Economy, which we expect to publish shortly.

EU Grants and Loans

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many consortia made bids to the bidding round of the Eureka Eurostars programme which closed on 24 March 2011; how many such consortia contained a UK business; how many companies there were within each consortium; how many UK companies were within each consortium; what the monetary value of each bid was; and how each bid was ranked by the Eurostars programme evaluation;
	(2)  how many consortia containing UK businesses funded by the Technology Strategy Board made bids to the bidding round of the Eureka Eurostars programme which closed on 24 March 2011; how many UK businesses there were within consortia funded by the Board; how many consortia which scored highly enough to be funded by the programme were not funded by the Board; and how many businesses there were in each such consortium;
	(3)  how much his Department allocated to the Technology Strategy Board to fund bids to the bidding round of the Eureka Eurostars programme which closed on 24 March 2011;
	(4)  what proportion of the sums bid by consortia in the bidding round of the Eureka Eurostars programme which closed on 24 March 2011 related to consortia containing UK companies which subsequently scored highly enough to secure funding;
	(5)  how many consortia containing UK companies which prepared bids to the bidding round of the Eureka Eurostars programme which closed on 24 March 2011 scored highly enough to be funded by the programme but were not subsequently funded by the Technology Strategy Board.

David Willetts: Eureka Eurostars is a programme for research performing SMEs and involves funding from 32 countries as well as funding from the European Commission. In the UK, the Technology Strategy Board is responsible for its delivery.
	The Department provides an overall budget provision to the Technology Strategy Board and within that overall provision the Technology Strategy Board decides how much to allocate to Eureka Eurostars. The Technology Strategy Board has a range of calls on its budget and all of the programmes it operates are heavily oversubscribed. The current Eureka Eurostars budget is £3 million per annum which attracts 25% funding from the European Commission making a total annual budget of £3.75 million. The funding is evenly spread over the two Eureka Eurostars calls held annually in March and September.
	For the bidding round of Eureka Eurostars which closed on 24 March 2011, a total of 402 consortia bids were received involving 1,301 businesses and academia from 36 different countries. There was an overall rise of 17% in the number of applications compared to the previous bidding round.
	Of the 402 consortia bids, 85 involved UK participants. The number of companies in each consortium ranged from one to 11 with some projects also involving academia. The maximum number of UK companies in any one consortium was two and, in total, the 85 bids involved 97 UK companies and 151 partners from other Eurostars member countries. Looking at the total project cost, the bids involving UK organisations ranged from €199,000 to €6.3 million.
	The Technology Strategy Board is planning on supporting seven consortia bids which involve nine UK companies. In addition, there is one bid which contains a UK university which is funding its own participation. There were a further 23 consortia bids containing 24 UK companies above the quality threshold which, if UK and in some instances funding from other Eurostars countries had been available, could have also been funded. Of the 23 consortia bids which could not be funded, 22 of the bids contained one UK company and one bid contained two UK companies.
	The total project costs for all 402 applications was €550 million. The total project costs for the 30 projects involving UK companies which were above the quality threshold, and therefore scored high enough to be considered suitable for funding, was €39.9 million. The UK grant funding requested by the UK companies in the 30 consortia bids was €7.45 million.
	The ranking of individual bids is not made publically available as it could impact on the commercial standing of the companies involved.

EU Grants and Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what matched funding was forgone by each (a) UK company, (b) non-UK company within a consortium containing a UK company and (c) a consortium containing a UK company in relation to consortia containing UK companies that submitted bids for the Eureka Eurostars 24 March 2011 programme and scored highly enough to be funded by the programme but were not subsequently funded by the Technology Strategy Board.

David Willetts: A total of 23 consortia containing 24 UK companies prepared bids to the bidding round of the Eureka Eurostars programme which closed on 24 March 2011 and scored high enough to be considered suitable for funding by the programme but were not subsequently funded by the Technology Strategy Board and/or the national funding bodies in the other Eurostars participating countries. The 24 UK companies were collectively seeking €5.3 million of grant funding with each company seeking between €70,000 and €300,000. The total project cost for the 23 consortia bids, which included 40 non-UK participants, was €27.8 million with public funding approximately 48% of the total cost.
	The information on individual UK companies is not made publically available and individual figures for non-UK companies and consortia cannot be provided without disproportionate cost.

EU Internal Trade

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the size of the European single market in gross domestic product terms in (a) the latest period for which figures are available, (b) 2005, (c) 2000, (d) 1995, (e) 1990, (f) 1985 and (g) 1981; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The common market of the European Economic Community became the Single Market following the adoption of the Single European Act in 1986 and its full implementation in 1993. It covers a gross domestic product in current US dollars of:
	$16378 billion in 2009 (27 countries)
	$13652 billion in 2005 (25 countries)
	$8080 billion in 2000 (15 countries)
	$8816 billion in 1995 (15 countries)
	$2503 billion in 1985 (12 countries)
	$6491 billion in 1990 (12 countries)
	$2700 billion in 1981 (10 countries)
	These figures are in the public domain and I would refer my hon. Friend to the databases held by Eurostat and the World Bank.

Exports: Syria

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has revoked any export licences to the Syrian government for defence and associated equipment since 1 April 2011.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 14 July 2011
	There were no export licences permitting the export to the Syrian Government of defence and associated equipment that were extant on 1 April 2011 and consequently there have been no revocations.

Fuels: Prices

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the effect on economic growth in the private sector of motoring fuel costs;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on employment of trends in fuel prices in each of the last five financial years.

Justine Greening: I have been asked to reply.
	The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts. The OBR published a full analysis on the prospects for economic growth, employment and inflation in their forecast at Budget, which can be found online at:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk

High Street Review

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much in expenses Mary Portas is entitled to claim for her work on the independent review on the future of the high street.

Edward Davey: Mary Portas' entitlements are the same as for departmental staff. Any additional travel costs which are actually and necessarily incurred by Mary Portas in the course of her review will be reimbursed by the Department, provided they are consistent with departmental guidelines.

Higher Education

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the likely number of state school students in university education in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14.

David Willetts: holding answer 14 July 2011
	This information is not available.

Higher Education: Admissions

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many meetings he and Ministers in his Department have had with the right hon. Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, the Government's Advocate for Access to Education, concerning access to higher education institutions since the appointment of the right hon. Member to that post.

David Willetts: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and BIS Ministers have had six meetings between them with the Advocate for Access to Education, the right hon. Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (Simon Hughes), during his time in the role.

Higher Education: Admissions

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many students accepted at each higher education institution had grades of AAB or above at A-level in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what proportion of students accepted at each higher education institution had grades of AAB or above at A-level in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) have published a consultation document about the way higher education teaching is funded and student numbers are allocated in England, in the policy context set by the Government's White Paper on the future of higher education: ‘Students at the Heart of the System’. Annex D of this document contains HEFCE's initial assessment of entry level qualifications by institution. This gives an early indication of the possible operation of the AAB or above policy. The data on which this provisional assessment are based will be subject to consultation and clarification with higher education institutions. Final decisions on precisely how the approach will work will be taken on the basis of revised data, later in the year. The consultation can be found on the HEFCE website via the following link:
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2011/11_20

Higher Education: Admissions

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications each higher education institution received in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of the number of places to study at each such institution this represents.

David Willetts: The latest information on the number of applications to each institution and the number of applicants who obtain a place is available from the UCAS website at the following link:
	http://www.ucas.com/about_us/stat_services/stats_online/data_tables/heinstitution/2010
	These figures cover applications from all students (from the UK, other EU and non-EU countries). It is therefore on a different basis to figures recently published by HEFCE (‘Teaching funding and student number controls: Consultation on changes to be implemented in 2012-13’), which cover UK and EU domiciled students only, and also relate to a different academic year (2009/10).

Higher Education: Admissions

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students accepted with A-levels at grades of AAB or better by each higher education institution had made that higher education institution their first choice in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Willetts: The latest information for autumn 2010 will be placed in the Libraries of the House. The figures are on a different basis to those recently published by HEFCE (“Teaching funding and student number controls: Consultation on changes to be implemented in 2012-13”), which relate to the 2009/10 academic year, and include entrants with equivalent non A-level qualifications.
	In 2012/13, institutions will be free to recruit as many students with AAB+ or equivalents as they want and are able. HEFCE is currently consulting on how this might best be implemented and will take final decisions later this year.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to encourage local enterprise partnerships to assist small and medium-sized enterprises to commercialise new and emerging technologies in areas with potential environmental benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) are developed from the bottom-up and it is for LEPs themselves to decide what their priorities are. The Government’s expectation is that LEPs will work closely with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in deciding these priorities. Where LEPs are interested in assisting SMEs to commercialise new and emerging technologies in areas with potential environmental benefit, then the Government will work with them to do so.

Metals: Research

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to support rare earth and minerals research.

David Willetts: holding answer 13 July 2011
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not directly provide universities or research institutes with funding for rare earth and minerals research. However, the Department provides funding to the Research Councils, HEFCE and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), which provide a range of support to researchers and scientists.
	As part of the evidence I gave to the Science and Technology Committee on 2 March 2011 concerning strategically important metals I explained how the Government has a responsibility through our excellent science and research base, and that if there are specific areas where more research is required then industry could advise the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
	NERC has an active mineral research programme. The British Geological Survey (BGS), a NERC Centre, has monitored global metal production and trade for almost 100 years. Through its ‘Metals and Minerals for Environmental Technology’ project, BGS carries out research in the UK and overseas, in conjunction with academia and industry, on the Earth processes and properties that produce mineral deposits, on novel resources for environmental technology (initially focusing on rare earths) and on new mineral exploration technology.
	The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's (EPSRC) current portfolio of investment in metallurgical, ceramic and photonic materials research, all make use of rare earth metals and minerals. The EPSRC also funds research and has a key strategic interest in the area of materials efficiency and materials scarcity.
	The Technology Strategy Board's forthcoming Supply Chain Innovation Collaborative R&D competition will help companies develop products and technologies that can mitigate materials security risks. In addition, the Technology Strategy Board funded Knowledge Transfer Networks have recently established a ‘Special Interest Group' that aims to help businesses understand potential constraints on the availability of material resources.
	DEFRA published research in December 2010 looking at the resource risks to UK business, including rare earths, wider metals, minerals and other resources. The research has helped develop policy approaches in the recent review of waste policies in England and the Natural Environment White Paper.

Minimum Wage: Young People

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to change the level of the national minimum wage for young people in the period up to May 2015.

Edward Davey: Decisions on national minimum wage rates are made on an annual basis. The Government's decisions are based on recommendations from the Low Pay Commission (LPC).
	As part of the LPC's remit for its 2012 report we have asked the LPC to pay particular attention to the labour market position of young people. The LPC will submit its next report by the end of February 2012 and we will consider its recommendations carefully once that report has been received.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has assessed the conclusions and recommendations of the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Motor Group on future challenges and opportunities for the UK automobile industry of July 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The hon. Member has written to me on this subject and to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable). I will respond to him shortly in writing.
	A copy of this letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Office

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what payment is made to Post Office Ltd for the issue of (a) a driver's licence and (b) a residence permit.

Edward Davey: The information requested relates to contracts between Post Office Ltd and (a) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and (b) those local authorities on whose behalf Post Office Ltd issues residence permits. These are commercial contracts between Post Office Ltd and its customers, and as such the information requested is commercially confidential.

Property Rights: Finance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the potential effects on small and medium-sized enterprises of transaction costs associated with defending property rights in the UK; and what steps he is taking to reduce such transaction costs.

Edward Davey: The most recent assessment made by the Government was of the evidence submitted to Lord Justice Jackson in response to his ‘Review of Civil Litigation Costs’ which was published in January 2010. In addition, further research and evidence was commissioned by and submitted to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) in order to inform the Government response to the consultation.
	The Government's actions on this have included introducing simpler more streamlined procedures in the Patents County Court (PCC): from October 2010, the introduction of a fixed scale of recoverable costs capped at a maximum of £50,000, and from June 2011, a limit on damages of £500,000 which may be awarded by the court in relation to patents and designs disputes. A similar limit for a wide range of other intellectual property (IP) rights including copyright and trade marks is expected in due course.
	These limits will ensure that lower value/less complex claims, typically those brought by small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs, automatically fall within the jurisdiction of the PCC, which in turn reduces the financial risk for claimants of going to court.
	The Hargreaves review recommended that a small claims track should be introduced in the PCC, to improve access to justice for firms with lower-value IP infringement cases. The Government will consider this as part of their response to the review.

Regional Development Agencies: Trade Unions

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff at each regional development agency were entitled to work (a) full-time as trade union representatives and (b) part-time on trade union activities in the latest period for which figures are available; how many such staff received a salary greater than £25,900 per year; and what the total cost to the public purse was of employing such staff on such duties.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 13 July 2011
	The regional development agencies have no staff entitled to work full-time as trade union representatives. The details requested in respect of those working part-time are as follows:
	
		
			 RDA for 2010/11 except as indicated Number of staff entitled to work part-time on TU activities Number of such staff receiving salary greater that £25,900 Total cost to public purse of staff working on such duties (£) 
			 AWM 5 5 15,499 
			 EEDA 0 0 0 
			 EMDA 3 1 5,370 
			 NWDA(1) 1 1 1,313 
			 ONE 3 3 24,932 
			 SEEDA 2 2 (2)0 
			 SWRDA(1) 9 7 20,440 
			 YF 3 3 1,258 
			 Total 26 22 68,812 
			 (1) Figures given for period ending 30 June 2011. (2)There is a local agreement that two staff may allocate time to TU activities, the time spent is not formally recorded and therefore an estimate of cost cannot be given.

Regional Growth Fund

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of projects successful in the first round of the Regional Growth Fund which were wholly or largely concerned with innovative technologies.

Mark Prisk: The proportion of projects successful in the first round of the Regional Growth Fund which have a material component related to innovative technologies was 64%.

Science: Higher Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of state school pupils applying to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects at university.

David Willetts: The Department funds a number of programmes which encourage all young people to understand the excitement and importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects in their lives, and to encourage school pupils to study these disciplines at university, and to make appropriate choices at each stage in their educational careers.
	These programmes include STEMNET and its 27,000 strong cohort of STEM Ambassadors, the Big Bang Fair, the National Science and Engineering Competition and National Science and Engineering Week, and the “See Inside Manufacturing” initiative.
	In addition, BIS's partners, including the National Academies and the Research Councils, deliver a range of educational outreach activities directly aimed at school-aged students.

St George's Property Service London Limited

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on the insolvency of St George's Property Service London Limited.

Edward Davey: Neither the Secretary of State nor I are aware of recent representations received in respect of this company aside from the question raised by the hon. Member that I answered on 11 July 2011, Official Report, column 192W.

Students: Admissions

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of likely student numbers in the next five years.

David Willetts: We expect overall entrant numbers to remain broadly constant over the spending review period.

Students: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will require all UK higher education institutions with students in receipt of loans from the Student Loan Company to provide the contact details of such students to the National Student Survey; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: holding answer 18 July 2011
	Under current quality assurance arrangements higher education institutions, in receipt of teaching grant funding, are required to participate in the National Student Survey (NSS). The contact details of final year students are provided by the institution to the organisation administering the NSS, so all eligible students are able to give their views about the quality of their teaching and learning experience. The NSS forms a vital part of the information set for prospective students.
	The Higher Education White Paper published on 28 June proposes a single, transparent regulatory framework with which all providers in the higher education system will need to comply if they wish to benefit from public funding. We will consult this summer on detailed proposals for the framework, which will include quality and information requirements.

Students: Loans

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received on the compliance with sharia of the interest arrangements for the proposed Student Loans Scheme.

David Willetts: The Government have received representations from student representative bodies regarding this issue. I met with representatives of NUS and the Federation of Student Islamic Societies on 21 March 2011 to discuss the issue.

Summertime

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the introduction of double summer time.

Edward Davey: We are aware that there are a range of views on this subject. While the Government do not propose to change current summertime arrangements, we continue to listen to representations we receive and consider any evidence presented to us.

Superconductors: Research

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has conducted into the use of superconductors.

David Willetts: holding answer 11 July 2011
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills provides funding to the Research Councils.
	The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has provided long term support for research into the study of superconductors. Currently the EPSRC portfolio for superconductivity represents 45 grants into UK academic institutions for a total value of £19 million.

Technology Strategy Board: Finance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has allocated to the Technology Strategy Board for each of the next three years.

David Willetts: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 April 2011, Official  Report, columns 268-69W.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the economic effects on Derby and its surrounding area of the decision on the award of the Thameslink contract.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 13 July 2011
	The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills announced on 5 July the creation of an Economic Response Task Force headed up by Margaret Gildea OBE, who runs Organisation Change Solutions, to fully understand and mitigate the economic impact of job losses at Bombardier, its supply chain and the local communities.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of jobs to be created in the UK as a result of the decision on the award of the Thameslink contract; and if he will estimate the number of jobs that would have been created had the contract been awarded to Bombardier.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 13 July 2011
	The Department for Transport advise that the staffing level required to fulfil the terms of the Thameslink rolling stock contract is a matter for the Train Manufacturer and Maintainer (TMM) to decide. Siemens plc with Cross London Trains, after being named preferred bidder, stated that work on the Thameslink rolling stock contract could create up to 2,000 new jobs in the UK, including jobs in train component manufacturing, depot construction and train maintenance.

Youth Unemployment

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on reducing youth unemployment; and if he will publish the minutes of any such meetings.

David Willetts: BIS Ministers and I meet counterparts from the Department for Work and Pensions and other Departments regularly to discuss youth unemployment and related issues, notably in the context of preparing the Government's Participation Strategy, which is due to be published in the autumn.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2011, Official Report, column 1063W, on carbon emissions, whether the sources of low-carbon energy generation his Department is considering on its estate are to be manufactured in the UK.

Gregory Barker: The Department will consider a number of potential options for low-carbon energy generation on its estate over the course of this financial year but has not yet reached the stage of choosing specific manufacturers.

Coal

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations he has received on the future of the coal industry (a) in Wales and (b) nationally.

Charles Hendry: Ministers and officials have regular meetings with the coal industry where a variety of issues are discussed including the future of the coal industry.

Coal: Reserves

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the coal reserves available in (a) Wales, (b) each region of England, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland.

Charles Hendry: The following tables provide a breakdown of identified coal reserves at deep mine and surface mine sites in England, Wales and Scotland. The Coal Authority do not hold information on coal reserves in Northern Ireland.
	A regional breakdown of surface mine coal reserves in England is not available.
	
		
			 Deep  m ining Million tonnes 
			 Current sites and licences England Scotland Wales Total 
			 Operational sites 75 — 38 113 
			 Planning granted — — 16 16 
			 In planning process — — — — 
			 Pre-planning — — 185 185 
			 Total 75 — 239 314 
			 Prospects previously identified by British Coal     
			 Well developed     
			 Carway Fawr (South Wales) — — 10 10 
			 N.E. Leicestershire (East Midlands) 500 — — 500 
			 Witham (East Midlands) 120 — — 120 
			 Park (West Midlands) 100 — — 100 
			 South Warwickshire (West Midlands) 400 — — 400 
			 Total 1,120 — 10 1,130 
			 Identified     
			 Amble (North East) 50 — — 50 
			 East Durham (North East) 200 — — 200 
			 St Bees (North West) 20 — — 20 
			 East Yorkshire (Yorkshire and Humberside) 300 — — 300 
			 Kesteven (East Midlands) 240 — — 240 
			 Vale of Till (East Midlands) 90 — — 90 
			 Total 900 — — 900 
			      
			 Great Britain Total 2,095 — 249 2,344 
		
	
	
		
			 Surface  m ining Million tonnes 
			 Current sites and licences England Scotland Wales Total 
			 Operational sites 10 18 13 41 
			 Planning granted 1 11 0 12 
			 In planning process 5 8 12 25 
			 Pre-planning 19 13 4 36 
			 Total 35 50 29 114 
			 Prospects previously identified by British Coal     
			 Well developed 69 3 49 121 
			 Fully and partly proved 107 23 13 143 
			 Potential 340 49 85 474 
			 Total 516 75 147 738 
			      
			 Great Britain Total 551 125 176 852 
			 Note: Developed prospects are ones where British Coal carried out a lot of work including applying for planning permission (not including Witham). Mines were actually developed in the case of NE Leicestershire (Asfordby) and Carway Fawr. Identified prospects are those where there was a lesser amount of work carried out. Source: The Coal Authority, June 2011

Community Energy Savings Programme

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Community Energy Savings Programme projects have been proposed but are awaiting OFGEM approval in (a) Wales, (b) England and (c) Scotland.

Gregory Barker: As of 18 July 2011 there were 177 proposed Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) schemes awaiting approval by Ofgem, broken down as follows:
	(a) Wales: 27 schemes
	(b) England: 125 schemes
	(c) Scotland: 25 schemes.
	Ofgem are working with the energy companies delivering CESP to address the technical issues which have delayed the approval of a number schemes and approvals are consequently expected to accelerate over the remainder of the year.

Community Energy Savings Programme

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what companies are awaiting approval for Community Energy Saving Programme schemes.

Gregory Barker: The Community Energy Saving Programme places a carbon reduction obligation on the main energy supply companies and generators. All but one of the obligated companies currently have schemes with Ofgem awaiting approval.

Community Energy Savings Programme

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of Community Energy Saving Programme schemes that will have been delivered by April 2012.

Gregory Barker: Energy companies are required to deliver the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) by December 2012. There are no interim targets within the overall period and no estimate has been made for the position in April 2012. Based on delivery of CESP to date, Ofgem estimates that 350-400 schemes will be delivered by the end of the programme.

Community Energy Savings Programme

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the amount of carbon dioxide saved through (a) solid wall insulation and (b) other Community Energy Saving Programme measures since the programme's inception.

Gregory Barker: The precise amount of carbon dioxide saved under the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) by particular measures will not be known until the completion of the reconciliation exercise after the programme ends in 2012. Companies have up until the end of 2012 to deliver schemes and bank the carbon savings needed to meet their obligations under CESP.
	The latest Ofgem annual CESP report (to December 2010) estimates that the CESP schemes submitted for approval at that point amounted to 7.1 notional MtCO2 (some 36.9% of the total notional CESP target of 19.25 MtCO2), after allowing for adjustments. The report also notes that 81% of CESP scheme proposals include external solid wall insulation and 8% internal wall insulation.

Departmental Air Travel

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on air travel in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11.

Gregory Barker: Expenditure by the Department of Energy and Climate Change on air travel was as follows: (a) £1,216,000 in 2009-10 and (b) £808,000 in 2010-11.
	All travel by officials must be incurred in accordance with the Department’s travel and subsistence policy. A new policy was introduced from 1 October 2010 which includes the requirements that:
	Staff should only travel if it is absolutely necessary;
	Standard or economy class must be used unless there is a clear business need for a higher class to be approved; and
	All travel bookings must be made though the official suppliers.
	The extent of air travel reflects the Department’s agenda
	“to drive ambitious action on climate change at home and abroad”.
	Most overseas travel relates to the Department’s engagement with the United Nations framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC), the International Energy Agency, the International Renewable Energy Agency, the Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency and the European Union.
	Approximately 15% of the costs of air travel relate to domestic flights. DECC is based in two locations—London and Aberdeen. While video conferencing is used as much as possible, there is a need for some staff to travel between locations.

Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has a policy on requirements for the provision of (a) apprenticeships and (b) other training by (i) his Department's prime contractors and (ii) suppliers in the supply chain of such contractors.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change's policy is to follow best practice guidance issued by the Government Procurement Service (previously known as the Office of Government Commerce) on the provision of apprenticeships and training by prime contractors and contractors in the supply chain. This guidance is set out in the document “Promoting Skills Through Public Procurement” which can be found at:
	http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documents/Promoting_skills_through_public_procurement.pdf
	It requires procurement staff to seek opportunities to promote skills training and apprenticeships in contracts wherever appropriate. Suppliers in the supply chain are expected to meet the same standards as prime contractors when working for the Department.

Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with his Department in each of the last three years.

Gregory Barker: 2008-09: DECC was created in October 2008 and did not establish an apprenticeship programme.
	2009-10: DECC met its pre-agreed target of 10 apprenticeship training programmes, including three new contracts created and recruited through the National Apprenticeship Service.
	2010-11: DECC met its pre-agreed target of five apprenticeships—all of which were new recruits (and contracts) through the National Apprenticeship Service.

Departmental Manpower

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people have been (a) recruited and (b) made redundant from (i) his Department and (ii) each non-departmental body for which he is responsible since May 2010.

Gregory Barker: DECC has recruited 289 people since May 2010, which has resulted in a net increase of 150 full time equivalent staff. The majority of people recruited into DECC are existing civil servants who have come from other Departments across Whitehall.
	The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has recruited 11 people, the Civil Nuclear Police Authority has recruited 187 people, the Coal Authority has recruited six people and the Committee on Climate Change has recruited 6 people. DECC, the Civil Nuclear Police Authority, and the Committee on Climate Change have not made any people redundant since May 2010.
	The Coal Authority made 25 people redundant to 30 June 2011.
	74 staff left the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and received exit packages as set out in the 2010-11 Annual Report and Accounts.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on entertainment in the financial year (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change is unable to separately identify entertainment costs for staff without incurring disproportionate costs. The Department's accounting system includes entertainment codes but the vast majority of expenditure recorded against these codes represents catering costs for meetings and events, some of which involve industry and external guests. Not all catering costs, however, are recorded as entertainment. To identify non-catering elements within entertainment, and those costs that relate to staff, would involve scrutinising a large number of individual transactions.
	As recorded under this wider definition which includes catering and non-staff costs, entertainment expenditure was (a) £255,000 in 2009-10 and (b) £118,000 in 2010-11.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on hospitality for staff since May 2010.

Gregory Barker: Expenditure by the Department of Energy and Climate Change on hospitality was (a) £35,000 in 2009-10 and (b) £14,000 in 2010-11. Hospitality represents expenditure on food and drink provided at meetings and events for the benefit of guests outside of the Department. All expenditure was incurred in accordance with the Department's policy on hospitality which requires that:
	Directors general take personal responsibility for ensuring that an effective system is in place within their business areas for dealing with hospitality expenditure;
	all expenditure must be fully and properly authorised and accounted for;
	there must be a clear and justifiable reason for expenditure on hospitality i.e. where there is direct Government interest in promoting the Department;
	the nature of the hospitality should not be excessive to the purpose for which it is given;
	the number of members of the Department present should be reasonable in relation to the nature of the occasion; and
	personal benefit to the participating staff must be incidental and, where relevant, abated by adjustment of any claims for subsistence.

Departmental Photographs

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on ministerial photoshoots and videos since May 2010.

Gregory Barker: Since May 2010, The Department of Energy and Climate Change has spent £39 on ministerial photos. £4,412.97 has been spent on providing videos for stakeholder events.

Departmental Procurement

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many procurement contracts his Department has awarded to small businesses since May 2010.

Gregory Barker: Since May 2010, the central procurement team in the Department of Energy and Climate Change has approved 184 business cases to tender contracts that would be suitable for small businesses to bid for. Procurement authority, however, is devolved to the Department's business groups who are directly responsible for their own budgets and procurement activity. Details of successful bidders are held locally and to collect this information from business groups would incur disproportionate costs.

Departmental Procurement

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of procurement contracts offered by his Department have been advertised on the Contracts Finder website since the website's inception.

Gregory Barker: To date, the Department of Energy and Climate Change has advertised 31 contracts on Contracts Finder since the website's inception. This represents 100% of competitively let contracts, excluding those let under existing framework agreements where only framework suppliers were invited to tender.
	It is now mandatory for all procurement opportunities over £10,000 to be published on Contracts Finder.

Departmental Redundancy

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on redundancy costs since May 2010.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has not incurred any expenditure on redundancy costs since May 2010.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  how many meetings he has had with hon. Members of each political party since May 2010;
	(2)  if he will consider keeping data on the number of times (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have declined a request for a meeting from an hon. Member of each political party;
	(3)  on how many occasions a request for a meeting by an hon. Member of each political party was refused by (a) a Minister in his Department directly and (b) his Department on behalf of a Minister in November 2010.

Gregory Barker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 7 July 2011, Official Report, column 1370W.

Departmental Training

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on training for Ministers since May 2010; and what the purpose of the training was.

Gregory Barker: My noble friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lord Marland) received a briefing on legislative processes in advance of his taking the Energy Bill through its House of Lord’s stages. Since May 2010, training for Ministers has been centrally funded by the Core Learning Programme of the National School of Government.

Electric Vehicles

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of industry on low overnight off-peak tariffs to encourage the use of electric vehicles.

Norman Baker: I have been asked to reply.
	Off-peak overnight charging is central to the Government's strategy for plug-in vehicle infrastructure “Making the Connection”, published on 30 June 2011. In developing this strategy, officials from the cross-Whitehall Office for Low Emission Vehicles had extensive discussions with representatives of the energy industry, including retailers and distributors. These discussions included off-peak tariffs for plug-in vehicles.
	In addition through Ofgem's Smart Grid Forum and the Low Carbon Network Fund trials, officials are working with industry to consider in depth the implications of plug-in vehicles for the electricity network as a whole.

Energy Supply

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure future security of energy supply.

Charles Hendry: The Government have a well-developed range of policies in place to ensure future energy security. For the longer term energy security of the UK the Government are acting in four key areas: (1) reducing our demand for energy; (2) maximising economic recovery of our indigenous reserves; (3) ensuring a strong, resilient market and infrastructure (including through Electricity Market Reform); (4) influencing other countries. While pursuing this longer-term strategy, the Government also have arrangements to ensure the day-to-day resilience of our energy and other infrastructure in the face of challenges such as natural disasters, civil disturbance and terrorism.
	The Electricity Market Reform White Paper (CM 8099), published on 12 July, sets out a range of measures to drive investment at the scale and pace needed to support the future security of electricity supply. In particular, it includes a consultation on possible models for a capacity mechanism. We shall take a decision on the most appropriate form of capacity mechanism around the turn of the year.

Energy: Complaints

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many complaints his Department has received concerning each gas and electricity company in each of the last five years.

Charles Hendry: DECC Ministers and officials receive a number of representations about gas and electricity companies. However, individual consumer complaints are dealt with by the energy company itself by following its formal complaint process. If the company fails to offer a satisfactory resolution domestic and micro business customers can then pursue the matter with the energy ombudsman. Larger business customers can address complaints by using the legal system.

Energy: Meters

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what support Ofgem's Low Carbon Networks Fund provides to smart grid projects.

Charles Hendry: The Low Carbon Network Fund will allow up to £500 million over five years 2010-15, encouraging and enabling the distribution network operators to trial new technology, operating and commercial arrangements which can aid the transition to a low carbon energy sector. £64 million funding is available each year in the competitive element of the fund and a further £80 million is available over the five years to help fund smaller scale projects. A further £100 million is available over the five years as a discretionary award to reward projects which bring particular value in helping the networks adapt to climate change while providing security of supply and value for money to consumers.

Energy: Prices

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effects of his proposed reforms of electricity markets on average electricity costs for consumers in each income decile of population, in each of the next four financial years.

Charles Hendry: The Government published a White Paper on electricity market reform on 12 July. The EMR mechanisms will be implemented in 2014, so will not have an impact on consumers before that time. The impact assessment accompanying the White Paper assesses the impact of the package on household bills for householders in 10 disposable income deciles, for the period between 2016-20. See page 118 of the impact assessment for further details:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/legislation/white_papers/emr_wp_2011/emr_wp_2011.aspx

Fuel Poverty: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the impact of recent announcements of changes in gas and electricity prices on levels of fuel poverty in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford and (b) London.

Gregory Barker: Projections of fuel poverty are made at a national level only.
	The recent changes in domestic energy prices, if mirrored across all suppliers, will lead to a small increase in the number of households in fuel poverty in 2011 and a larger impact in 2012, as the majority of the price changes will feed through to annual fuel bills in 2012. Latest projections of fuel poverty indicate that there will be around four million fuel poor households in England in 2010, and around 4.1 million in 2011. Projections for 2012 will be made and published in the Fuel Poverty Statistics Report next year.
	Nevertheless, the true effect will only be known when we have full information on price changes from all suppliers and data from the 2011 and 2012 English Housing Survey (EHS). The EHS provides vital information for calculating the level of fuel poverty, including the mix of domestic fuels used by households, the income of those living in the households and the energy efficiency of the housing stock.

Green Deal Scheme

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department has taken to protect consumers from any advice given by Green Deal assessors which is not impartial; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: As part of the conditions of their authorisation. Green Deal assessor services will need to be certified by a UKAS-accredited certification body. The requirements of certification are intended to ensure that the assessment and associated advice are impartial and appropriate for the property and occupier in question. Appropriate sanctions such as suspension or withdrawal of certification will be applied for non-compliance with the certification requirements.
	Furthermore, Government intend to move an amendment at report stage to make an explicit reference to the impartiality of Green Deal assessors on the face of the Bill.
	It is the Department's policy that, while it should be possible for assessors to be employed by a green deal provider, the assessment itself should be impartial, and that a requirement for assessors to act impartially when carrying out an assessment should be included in the code of practice.

Green Deal Scheme

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had on the independence of Green Deal assessors; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: We have been clear the assessment must be impartial, whichever business model operates under Green Deal and we intend to move an amendment at report stage to make an explicit reference to the impartiality on the face of the Bill. DECC Ministers and officials have engaged industry experts and consumer groups on the issue and we will consult on the approach following Royal Assent of the Energy Bill.

Low Carbon Sector: Employment

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of (a) apprenticeships and (b) jobs in the low carbon sector by region.

Charles Hendry: holding answer 12 July 2011
	Information on the number of jobs in the low carbon sector by region can be found in the Innovas report on low carbon and environmental goods and services (LCEGS) commissioned by BIS, which is available on the BIS website.
	According to that report the LCEGS sector employed an estimated 910,000 in 2008/09. The emerging low carbon sector accounted for just under half of total employment (445,600), with renewable energy employing 29% (266,300) and environmental 22% (197,900).
	BIS is due to publish updated data for 2009/10 within the next month. BIS has not made any assessment of the number of apprenticeships in this area.

Natural Gas: Prices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will assess the effects on the standard of living of low-income families of increases in gas prices.

Gregory Barker: Projections of fuel poverty are made at a national, all household level only, and are representative of prices from all suppliers.
	The recent changes in domestic energy prices, if mirrored across all suppliers, will lead to a small increase in the number of households in fuel poverty in 2011 and a larger impact in 2012, as the majority of the price changes will feed through to annual fuel bills in 2012. Latest projections of fuel poverty indicate that there will be around 4 million fuel poor households in England in 2010, and around 4.1 million in 2011. Projections for 2012 will be made and published in the Fuel Poverty Statistics Report next year.
	Nevertheless, the true effect will only be known when we have full information on price changes from all suppliers and data from the 2011 and 2012 English Housing Survey (EHS). The EHS provides vital information for calculating the level of fuel poverty, including the mix of domestic fuels used by households, the income of those living in the households and the energy efficiency of the housing stock.

Natural Gas: Prices

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to reduce the cost to consumers of domestic gas supplies.

Charles Hendry: Consumers deserve the best possible deal, which means strong competition in the marketplace. We are taking a range of actions to boost competition and help consumers control their costs, including:
	1. Requiring better information on bills to facilitate switching between suppliers.
	2. Introducing the warm home discount scheme to help tackle fuel poverty.
	3. Extending the carbon emissions reduction target scheme, which obligates energy suppliers to help households install energy efficiency measures.
	4. Introducing the Green Deal to improve the energy efficiency of the housing stock.
	5. Cutting red tape for smaller suppliers.
	In addition, Ofgem is tackling other barriers to effective competition and consumer engagement (such as tariff complexity and low wholesale market liquidity) in its retail market review. While greater competition should put pressure on prices, consumers should also regularly evaluate the best deal on the market.
	We are also taking steps through the Energy Bill to confer on Ofgem a power to sharpen commercial incentives on gas shippers to prepare for low probability/high impact gas supply disruptions. This is intended to improve the resilience of our gas supply infrastructure, and should reduce the impact of such events on prices.

North Sea Oil: Safety

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the industrial health and safety implications of recent reports on the number of (a) oil and (b) gas leaks from North Sea oil platforms in (i) 2009 and (ii) 2010; if he will meet officials from the Health and Safety Executive to discuss such reports; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply.
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for regulating health and safety in the offshore oil and gas sector. In 2009-10 there were 187 hydrocarbon releases (liquid and gas) from offshore installations reported to HSE. Of these, two were classified as major, 83 as significant and 102 as minor. Provisional data from 2010-11 indicate that there were 168 releases, of which six were classified as major, 67 as significant and 95 as minor.
	Hydrocarbon releases are potential major hazard precursor events and a key indicator of how well the offshore industry is managing major hazard risks and asset integrity. HSE takes them very seriously and investigates all releases classified as significant and major to establish the root cause, assess compliance with legislation and ensure that the operator takes any necessary remedial action. Reducing the frequency of hydrocarbon releases is therefore a key priority for HSE, but this is not a new issue. The number of releases has reduced significantly since data were first collected in 1996/7. In that year there were 226 releases, of which 19 were major, 129 significant and 78 minor. However further reductions have proved harder to deliver in recent years. HSE has continued to challenge the Industry to do better and fully supports the industry target, agreed this year, to reduce hydrocarbon releases by 50% over the next three years. HSE expects all operators to draw up and implement plans to achieve that reduction.

North Sea Oil: Safety

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many (a) oil and (b) gas leaks there were from North Sea oil platforms in (i) 2009 and (ii) 2010.

Charles Hendry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by the Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling) to UIN 66257.

Nuclear Power Stations: Employment

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration his Department has given to commissioning an independent assessment of the potential number of people that could be employed by the nuclear industry in the UK up to 2050.

Charles Hendry: In 2009 the Government commissioned Cogent, the Sector Skills Council for Nuclear to build on their assessment of the current civil nuclear work force and look at the number of jobs that would be created by industry's plans to build 16 GW of new build nuclear by 2025. Their findings were published in the March 2010 report “Next Generation: Skills for New Build Nuclear”. It is estimated that 30,000 new jobs could be created by industry's current plans. The role of nuclear up to 2050 has been considered as part of the Department's 2050 pathways work, however there are no immediate plans to look at job forecasts beyond 2025.

Offshore Industry: Employment

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration his Department has given to commissioning an independent assessment of the potential number of people that could be employed by the oil and gas industry in the UK up to 2050.

Charles Hendry: Future employment levels in the UK oil and gas industry will be dependent on how successfully the industry is able to capitalise on the UK's remaining reserves potential. The Government will continue to support the industry in maximising economic recovery of the UK's oil and gas resources. However I have no current plans to commission an independent assessment of the potential number of people that could be employed by the industry in the UK up to 2050.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the average time taken for the net income from the feed-in tariff in respect of a solar photovoltaic installation to exceed the average planning and installation cost at the (a) current and (b) proposed rate.

Gregory Barker: At the start of the feed-in tariffs (FITs) scheme in April 2010, tariffs were set with the aim of providing solar PV installations with an approximate 5% internal rate of return. Based on modelling assumptions at the time, annual net income from FITs (taking into account income from the generation tariff, export tariff and electricity bill savings; and annual maintenance costs) was expected on average to pay back on (1) upfront capital costs in around thirteen years; and (2) planning and installation costs in three years.
	The recent fast track review of the FITs scheme found evidence that solar PV capital costs had fallen by around 30% from levels originally assumed. Based on this latest information, the above payback period estimates would still be expected to hold under the fast track review tariff for 50 kW to 150 kW installations, but would be longer for installations between 150 kW and 5 MW and stand alone installations. However, leaving tariffs unchanged would significantly reduce the estimated payback periods for all installations above 50 kW and stand alone installations to (1) around nine years for upfront capital costs; and (2) two years for planning and installation costs.

Third Sector

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the name is of each charity and voluntary organisation Ministers in his Department have visited since 12 May 2010.

Gregory Barker: Information on meetings between DECC Ministers and external organisations is published on a quarterly basis on the departmental website.

Wind Power: Nature Conservation

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what long-term environmental impact assessments have been undertaken by his Department in respect of areas proposed for onshore wind farm development.

Charles Hendry: Environmental impact assessments are a matter for project developers who are required to prepare and consult on environmental statements for their proposals under the relevant planning framework. The Secretary of State will consider these statements when determining schemes above 50 MW, including proposals for wind farms in Wales.
	As part of the preparation of the energy National Policy Statements, an appraisal of sustainability incorporating strategic environmental assessment was done to assess the potential strategically significant effects of new infrastructure including wind farms in England and Wales. These appraisals are published at:
	www.energynpsconsultation.decc.gov.uk

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many wind farm applications have been refused since June 2010.

Charles Hendry: The Department understands that since June 2010, 25 wind farm applications in England have been refused by local planning authorities. No applications for large scale wind farms (over 50 megawatts) have been refused.